


Another Thief: Royal Fools

by NamelessPassionate



Series: Persona 5: Another Thief [1]
Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: A new group of Phantom Thief, Alternative Universe - Original Characters, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dark, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Original Character(s), Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 92,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25145539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelessPassionate/pseuds/NamelessPassionate
Summary: Ichijou Akira had already given up to try and change the situation happening in Shujin Academy. However, with a request from a certain someone related to his past, he found that his potential was greater than he thought. Stepping into the heart of the corrupted, he will be remembered as the leader of the second Phantom Thief of heart- The Fools.TL;DR Basically a what-if story where there's another group of Phantom Thief. And the plot thickened into something else
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann, Suzui Shiho/Original Character(s)
Series: Persona 5: Another Thief [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821541
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. A New Dreadful Start

**Author's Note:**

> So uh... welcome to Another Thief: Royal! For those who don't know, this fic is a rewrite of my old version of "Persona 5: Another Thief". 
> 
> But don't worry, this fic had changed so much from the original version that only the basic premise of 'Another group of Phantom Thief' and some characters left. 
> 
> So anyway, I hope you would like the story!
> 
> *co-created with @RosyMiranto18

[7th April]

_"I was trying to get Kamoshida off of them! Why won't you even listen to me?!"_

_"It's no use, Akira... Kamoshida-Sensei has the entire school on his back..."_

_"Thanks to your connection to Kirijo Group, I couldn't get you off of my school... But I'll make your life here a living hell..."_

_"...I'm just trying to do the right_ _fucking_ _thing!"_

"AAAAA!" Screaming in the empty bedroom, **Ichijou Akira** suddenly sat up on his bed, panting heavily. "...Goddammit."

Taking the alarm clock next to him, he checked the time. "six o'clock in the morning..." Sighing, he got off the bed and walked over to the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror, Akira stared at his feature. His ink-like hair was as messy as he remembered, and the dark circle only made him looked messier. However, the blueish glow when the light shined on it always reminded him of someone, a certain someone he wished that he could talk with.

'Minato-San... What should I do?' Biting his lips to stop the urge of punching something, he gave out a heavy sigh and started to dress for school. "Thinking about him won't change anything, Akira."

As he started to change into his Shujin Academy uniform, the conversation he had with his older cousin unintentionally surfaced in his mind.

[The night before]

 _"Akira, please let me do something to help you,"_ In the laptop screen was a young woman with crimson hair, her bang covering her left eye. She's **Kirijo Mitsuru** , the president of Kirijo Group, and the only family member left for Akira. _"If that Kamoshida really did those things to his student, I can't just sit here and watch!"_

 _"It's no use, Mitsuru,"_ Akira murmured, shaking his head somberly as he tried to stop the tears from spilling out. _"That bastard has the entire school on his back, even the god damn principal know what is happening!"_

_"If that's so, I'll get the police."_

_"It's no use, the parents know too, they just turned a blind eye,"_ He shook his head again. _"I tried to stop him from harassing Kimiko, and he just shifts the blame on me!"_

 _"I know Chie-San and Naoto-San can help, but I don't want my life to be more of an inferno than before,"_ Interrupting himself, he clapped his hands together and practically begged. _"I already gave up, so please..."_

[Back to present]

Finally dressed in his Shujin uniform, which he always kept the jacked open and his black headphones around his neck, Akira picked up his shoulder bag and exited his apartment.

Walking down the street of Jongen-Jaya was always a few relaxing things in his life. Instead of the crowded street of Shibuya and Tatsumi Port Island, at least he could focus on the music playing in his headphones. After walking for a few minutes, he stopped in front of Leblanc, the cafe he always had breakfast in.

Opening the door with a nice rang of a bell, Akira greeted the owner of Leblanc- **Sakura Sojiro** , a middle-aged man with a stylish beard (at least for Akira) and wearing an apron over his outfit. "Good morning, Sakura-San."

"Oh, it's you," The older man greeted with a ghost of a smile. "As usual, right?"

"Yeah," Nodding, Akira sat down on one of the chairs next to the bar stand.

Putting his headphones back on, he scrolled through the song list and stopped on a particular song, {No More What Ifs}. Just as he was about to press the 'play' button, the smell of nice coffee and curry stopped him from doing anything.

"Here's your breakfast," Sojiro said as he put the plate of homemade curry in front of him, next to a cup of coffee. "Take your time, it's hot."

"Thank you," Giving him a sincere smile, Akira clasped his hands together and bowed, then started to eat. Meanwhile, the song started to play.

_People come and they go_

_Some people may stay with you though_

_I am all alone tonight and I kept on_

_Asking myself questions..._

Akira always had a special taste in music, but as time went on, the reason changed. He got into music because of the influence of Minato and Minako, but ever since that day, he started to use music to forget the life he's facing.

But it didn't work every time.

Time passed slowly as he continued his breakfast, and before he realized, he already finished the meal and the coffee too. "Oh," Blinking in confusion, Akira quickly recovered and stood up. "Thank you for your meal, Sakura-San."

Putting the 800 yen on the table, he exited Leblanc and continued his way to Shujin. The people slowly became a blur around him, and the way to school was surprisingly short.

Even though he tried to ignore them, but as he put off his headphones, Akira was forced to face the cruel reality again.

_"It's him..."_

_"It's a miracle that he's still here, right?"_

_"Stay away from him, Yuri."_

_"Disgusting... using his connection to stay here..."_

If it's a few months ago, Akira would try to debunk those claims. But he already gave up and accepted this fact. His life was now hell and he had nothing to do about it. He quickly checked which class he's in and went on his way, completely numb to the whispers around.

But if there's a god, that god was definitely fucking with him right now.

"Well well well, here's Ichijou," The voice of Kamohida Suguru rang behind him, and Akira froze.

'Calm down, it's not worth it.' Clenching his eyes and repeating this phrase in his head, he somehow able to keep his cool. "What?" He said without any emotion, not even turned around to face,

"It's a surprise that you are still capable to stay here," His voice which always caused his blood to boil continued, challenging his ability to stay calm. "I hope that you'll have a nice year looking forward."

"Me too," Murmuring to himself, he continued his walk to the classroom.

Stepping into his classroom, which was class 2-D, he was instantly greeted with glances and whispers. He expected it, but it was never something he's OK with it.

Akira ignored them and continued to his seat, which was behind **Takamaki Ann** , an exotic looking teen girl with a blonde twin tail and sky-blue eyes, with an empty seat between them.

As he was passing through her seat, he noticed her gaze at him. It was filled with pity and sympathy.

And it pissed him.

"Can you stop staring at me like this, Takamaki." He murmured, just loud enough for Ann to be heard.

Taken back by his sudden request, the blonde stumbled for anything to say. "I-I'm sorry... for what happened to you-"

Before she could finish the sentence, he slammed his shoulder bag to his table with a 'bang', startling everyone in the classroom. "I don't need your pity, Takamaki."

"You're not truly sorry," He raised his volume a little, tightening his hands into fists. "And I don't care if you do."

"So, either treat me as if I am not here or just JOIN THEM AND TALK BEHIND MY BACK!" Yelling the final few words, Akira stared at Ann with a rage-filled gaze. Ann, on the other hand, could only stare at him with wide eyes.

Looking around at the stunned crowd, he quickly took a deep breath and calmed himself, just barely. "Tell Kawakami that I'm in the restroom."

With that said, he hastily exited the classroom and rushed to the restroom. Once he was alone, he sat down in the corner and shouted in frustration. The screaming continued for a few minutes, and he took a few more to calm him down.

Kamoshida was right, his life was a living hell right now. He wanted to do something to revenge, but what could he do?

At this point, he was probably considering taking the matter to his own.

* * *

[11th April]

A few days had passed, and the news for two transfer students became the talk of the school. Continuing his usual routine of going to Leblanc for breakfast, Akira pushed open the door and was about to say the same thing he said every day.

However, he didn't expect someone else was sitting on the bar stand already. It was a teen boy about his age with curly black hair and a pair of glasses, and he didn't recognize him.

"Good morning, Sakura-San," Blinking, Akira decided to forget about it for a second and continued his routine. "Just as usual."

"You sounded colder than usual, something happened?"

"...Nothing."

Even though he could sense that Sojiro wanted to press on, but the owner caught the hint and stopped, switching his glance to the boy next to him. "This is his first day to school, can you show him the way?"

"Maybe," Upon hearing the words from Sojiro, the two boys stared at each other for a second. "So, you're one of the new transfer?" Akira asked.

"Yes, I am," The boy nodded, holding out a hand. "I'm Amamiya Ren, nice to meet you."

"I'm Ichijou Akira," Taking his hand and shook it, Akira stayed silence for a while, focusing on his breakfast.

Once he finished the breakfast, Akira left the charge on the table and walked to the front door. "C'mon, I'll show you the way."

Nodding, Ren quickly gave Sojiro a goodbye followed Akira. They walked over to the JL station and took the train to Shibuya. After arriving at the Shibuya station, Akira turned around and pointed at the sign above.

"I don't know if you're used to be living in a city, but this is the worst part of living in Tokyo," He said. "Just follow me closely, we're going to Ginza line."

Following the sign above them (Akira was more following his memories), they quickly reached the Ginza line and took the train.

Unfortunately, by the time they finally reached Aoyama-Itchome, the rain was starting to soak the street. The two boys quickly rushed to a nearby store and took a break.

"If there's a god, he must really hate me," Murmuring to himself, Akira let out a heavy sigh and turned to Ren. "Just go over there and follow the others."

He pointed at the road next to him, before placing his bag on top of his head. "Just don't be late, or the rumor will kill you."

With that said, he ran out to the wild and dashed.

* * *

Well, he never expected that Ren would be late, especially when he's basically a street away from the school. But somehow, he was late for an entire morning. He expected some whispers about this, but he didn't expect anything like this.

_"Being super late on his first day? He really is insane..."_

_"I heard that he got arrested from an assault..."_

_"He looks normal though..."_

'Assault?' Raising an eye at the whispers, both because of his reason to be here and the fact that everyone seems to be aware of it. 'What the hell?'

"I am Amamiya Ren, nice to meet you all," Ren greeted the whole class with a polite bow, after writing his name on the blackboard.

"Amamiya-Kun got sick, so he was late until now," Their homeroom teacher- **Kawakami Sadayo** explained to everyone, pointing to the seat in front of Akira. "You'll be sitting there."

She was a young-looking woman with dark brown unkempt hair, a yellow long-sleeved shirt striped with white and red horizontal lines and a blue denim skirt. In all honesty, he knew that Kawakami had a good heart, but something was holding her back.

Not that he's going to look into it.

Akira decided to just focus on his own stuff when Ren passed through Ann's seat, and she suddenly murmured out loud. "...Lies."

"You're that girl..."

Now Akira's confusion skyrocketed, when did Ann and Ren meet? He didn't remember someone around them when they're in the street. "Weird..." He murmured out loud, and loud enough for those beside them to be heard.

And the whispers and chatters exploded again.

_"...Did you catch that? Do those three know each other?"_

_"Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here? Maybe that's why Ichijou-san is so angry with her."_

_"That row is the worst..."_

Frowning as he overheard the whispers, Akira tapped Ren's shoulder, causing him to turn around. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked under his breath. "I told you to not be late on your first day."

"Something unexpected happened, it's out of my control." The transfer replied with a distant look. "But from the look of it, it doesn't matter whether I was late or not."

"Yeah..." He nodded in agreement, leaning back into his chair. "This school is the worst..."

With that said, they stayed silent and the remaining lessons passed like a blur. And he wanted to back at his apartment as soon as possible.

Once the bell rang, signaling the end of the school. Akira lazily packed his belonging and got up, but just as he was about to leave, Ann's voice stopped him.

"Ichijou,"

Giving out a heavy sigh, Akira turned around with an irritated look. "What do you want?" He asked with a hint of an edge. "I told you to leave me alone."

"I can't, OK?" She retorted, taking a step forward. "I know you're trying to do the right thing, and it's not fair to you."

"So? You're just going to pity me?"

"No!" Ann quickly shook her head in response. "I just want you to know... at least there's someone who understands you."

"..." Pondering for a moment, Akira's feature softened for a little and nodded. "I'm sorry 'bout that outburst, it's just... too much piling up on me."

"By the way, I never believe you're dating that bastard."

Giving out a ghost of a smile, Akira continued his walk and exited the classroom, just in time to overhear the conversation between Ren and another boy with spiky blonde hair.

He recognized that boy, he was **Sakamoto Ryuji** , the use-to-be ace of the track team. But since that bastard came in, not only the whole track team was disbanded, Kamoshida even broke his leg. And he could notice the wincing and the unnatural posture.

He felt sorry for him, but they never talked.

"I'll meet you on the rooftop."

'What? When did they meet?' Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Akira almost decided to follow them to the rooftop, but stopped himself from taking a step. "It's their own business, not mine."

Shaking his head, he turned to the stair and walked down, ignoring everything besides him. The whispers, chatters, rumors... but suddenly someone came across his sight, causing him to stop in his track.

"Suzui..." He murmured under his breath, and his heart suddenly ached. "...The bruises on her are worsening... that bastard..."

It was **Suzui Shiho** , a girl around his age with brown eyes and a black ponytail, held in place with a pink elastic band. She was one of the members of the volleyball team, which meant that she's one of the victims of Kamoshida's abuse, both sexual and physical.

Before Kamoshida's arrival, Akira was one of a few boys who were brave enough to talk with her. She was outgoing, but a bit scary when you went to her bad side. However, ever since his arrival, Shiho became a different person in every way possible.

Now, she was quiet and reserve, only hanging out with Ann. If he could, Akira would definitely give his shoulder for her to rest on, let her know that at least he cared about her.

But with the tag around his name, it's for the best that this distance remained.

Snapping out of his thought, Akira quickly continued his walk to the front gate.

* * *

[Akira's apartment]

Once he was out of school, he quickly took the train and went back to Yongen-Jaya. Opening the door of his apartment, he threw the shoulder bag aside and changed into his casual clothes. Unknown to others, he was actually an amateur novel writer, always posting different one-shot of some idea he had.

However, ever since the spring break, he hadn't been able to write anything at all. Opening his laptop, he was about to type something on his keyboard when a voice suddenly rang in his head.

_**"I hate this 'new' you, Akira."** _

Groaning in annoyance, Akira quickly shook his head and took a sip of water. "Just forget about it..."

With that said, he started doing the laundry, cleaning his apartment and made some sort of meal for himself. After that, he read a novel he had been a fan of, felling into the dreamland before he realized.

Until a certain piano melody and female voice rang around him.

* * *

[?] 'The Poem of Everyone's Souls' plays

Stirring, Akira opened his eyes and noticed that he's not in his apartment. Instead, he's now in a bar with a velvet blue covered everything. However, the weirdest thing is that... he recognized this place.

"Why am I in Jazz Jin Club? That place is at Kichijoji."

"Because it's not the 'Jazz Jin Club' you're talking about," A female voice suddenly rang near him, catching him by surprise.

Looking around, he noticed an individual in this bar other than him. She had white hair and yellow eyes, and wearing a blue outfit.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." The individual, who was a young woman with short hair and wearing a sleeveless blue dress said.

"Velvet room? When did I..."

"Don't worry, your body in the real-world sleeping right now. However, I call you for urgent need."

"Urgent..." Trailing off, his glance scanned the space around him, familiarizing himself to this place. "OK, who the hell are you?"

"I apologize for not introducing first," The young woman said with a slight bow. "I am Elizabeth."

Nodding in slight confusion, Akira stood up from the chair he'd been sitting on, taking a few steps closer to her. "Well, nice to meet you, Elizabeth. But why 'call' me here?"

She looked down thoughtfully for a moment before clearing her throat. "I am the attendant of the Velvet Room, serving our master Igor."

"However, my master and my brother and sisters got captured by Yaldabaoth, and now the next Wildcard's journey was controlled by him-"

Before he could finish, Akira quickly interrupted her. "Wait a minute, Yaldabaoth? Isn't that the 'god' in Platonism?" He asked, using his finger to emphasize the 'god' part.

"Indeed," She nodded, placing the books in her hand on the bar table. "But at the same time, he is real as well."

"So... Yes and No, I guess," Sighing, the guest crossed his arms thoughtfully. "But why should I help you? You can't just 'call' me to this place and expect to save your... family."

The former-attendant of Velvet Room unintentionally tightened the book in her ha.d, giving out a deep sigh. "To be honest, I wished that we wouldn't need to call you for help... "

"I made a promise with him to keep you away from all these businesses..." She trailed off, guilt slowly crept onto her face. "But I choose you... because of your connection to my guest in the Velvet Room."

"Guests in the Velvet Room..." Akira murmured to himself, pondering for a moment. "But what could I do? You're requesting me to fight a god to save your master, and I'm just a normal high school student."

The mysterious girl giggled at his reply, but quickly recovered into her professional expression. "You are much more than who you think you are. Your potential is much more than this."

Akira was about to ask her what did she mean for 'his potential', the space around him suddenly covered by blinding light. He didn't know what was happening, but before the darkness came back, the voice of Elizabeth rang beside his ear.

_"...When the time comes, you'll know what you can do..."_

* * *

[12th April]

Stirring, Akira opened his eyes and found that he's back in his bedroom, his laptop's screen remained on. "What the... when did I fell asleep?"

"And that's a really weird dream..."

Rubbing his hair, he checked the time on his laptop. "Holy Christ, it's seven-thirty in the morning already?!" Exclaiming in surprise, Akira quickly got up from his seat and refreshed himself, changing into his school uniform.

Already forgot about his dream with the Velvet Room, Akira was about to leave his apartment when his phone suddenly buzzed. Raising an eye in confusion, he took it out from his pocket and checked.

His phone was mostly normal, plain black wallpaper with some silver strips. And the buzzing was for a notification that something was installed. Raising an eye in question, he scrolled the phone and found a mysterious app.

"What the hell..."

Akira didn't know what it was, but it had an icon consisted of red and back, forming a shape of an eye. "Whatever, I'll get it fixed after school." Sighing, he ignored the app and went on his way.

Since he's been half an hour late to wake up, he was forced to went straight to the subway instead of having breakfast in Leblanc. Buying a piece of chocolate bar on the way, he was somehow able to catch the train on time.

However, in the corner of his eyes, Akira noticed a girl he didn't recognize. That girl was wearing Shujin uniform, judging from her collar's symbol, she was a first-year. She had crimson hair tied to a ponytail with a big red ribbon. For a split moment, Akira almost mistook her with Minako.

Remembering the news about the second transfer being an honor student and a first-year, he quickly realized that she was the second transfer student. Shrugging, he turned his focus back to the song playing in his headphone.

{'Beneath The Mask -Rain-' plays}

It was raining again as Akira walked out of the station. Thankfully, he did remember to bring an umbrella. Following the others and went on his way, he reached the school and went straight to the classroom.

* * *

[After school]

The day passed through like before, whispers about the new girl. Apparently, her name was **Yoshizawa Kasumi**. And she was an excellent gymnast, got the scholarship and transfer to this school.

Actually, Akira didn't know whether it's a gift or a curse. Joining the school when Kamoshida was around.

Speaking of which, just as Akira stepped out of the classroom, the voice of Kamoshida took his attention.

"Hey there, Takamaki." The PE teacher said, walking up to Ann. "You're looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents."

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today," Even though Ann reclined gently, but her tightened grip on her bag said otherwise. "It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it..."

"Hey, now... Being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone."

Sensing no reply from her, Kamoshida decided to press on. "You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? something about appendicitis?"

Avoiding his secretly perverted gaze, the model bit her lips to stop herself from running away. "Yes, I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy... sorry to worry you."

"You must be lonely too," Putting on a fake smile, Kamoshida took a step closer to Ann, much to her dislike. "I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often."

_"Keeping your best friend at practice..."_

_"Keeping 'Shiho' at practice..."_

And that's the line that broke the camel's back, for Akira. "Bullshit," He said out loud, causing the two (three if he noticed Ren behind him.) to turn in his direction.

"Excuse me?" Kamoshida said, annoyance spilled through his tone.

"You never feel bad for keeping anyone at practice," He retorted, crossing his arms as he kept the cold stare at him. "For the love of God, stop bullshiting for once."

Ignoring Kamoshida's reply to his word, Akira glance shifted to Ann, signaling her to get away now. Giving him a nod as a 'thank you', Ann quickly walked off and left the sight.

Realizing that the model had gone, Kamoshida stared at him with a rage-filled glare. "Ichijou, you just don't know when to quit."

"I've never quit," With a faint smirk on his face, Akira glanced around him to see that Ren was behind him. "Besides, you can't pull that 'self-defense' moves on me. I'm not doing anything to you, and you're in the middle of the hallway."

Knowing that he can't do anything, Kamoshida grunted in rage before leaving the hallway.

Once he was gone, Akira gave out a sigh and physically slumped. "I need a goddamn break..."

Walking down the stairs and bought a drink from the vending machine, he was about to step out of school when Ryuji and Ren suddenly appear from the alleyway.

"...What." Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Akira quickly hid in somewhere else, overhearing their conversation.

 _"What do you think?"_ Ryuji asked, sitting beside the brushes next to the front gate. _"Any idea to get back to that castle?"_

 _"_ _Check on your phone,_ _"_ Ren shrugged.

 _"_ _I'm not so sure anymore, I didn't see anything like it around here..._ _"_ Ryuji interrupted himself in mid-sentence, widening his eyes in realization. _"Huh? Phone... Hey, that reminds me-"_

 _"_ _didn't you have a weird app thingy on, back then?_ _"_

'Weird app...' Akira thought, pulling out his phone and stared at the mysterious app in his hand. '...Don't tell me that he got this too...'

 _"Yeah, this one,"_ Ren nodded, giving his phone out for Ryuji to see.

_"Dude, that app looked creepy as hell... Who'd design their app's icon to look like an eye... and that red and black..."_

Before Akira could do anything, a robotic feminine voice suddenly came out from Ren's phone.

**_"Kamoshida... Shujin Academy... Pervert... Castle..."_ **

**_"beginning navigation."_ **

'OK, that's it,' Turning around, Akira walked over the gate and revealed himself.

However, he found nothing. Ren and Ryuji just disappeared in thin air, no traces were left. "That's... really weird."

Remembering the conversation between them, Akira focused on the weird app and opened it. There were only three columns and a button with 'Navigate' on the bottom.

"OK... You should remember it, Akira," Murmuring to himself, he typed the words from the robotic voice.

Pressing the button, a sense of nausea suddenly hit Akira as space around began to distort. Before he realized, the Shujin Academy was replaced by a gigantic castle.

"What the fuck."

Akira blinked a few times, making sure that he's not dreaming right now. And unfortunately, he's not.

And the voice in front only made this face hit harder.

 _"_ _What is this place? ...Is it the school?_ _"_

It was Ryuji, asking a... Akira didn't know what words to describe that 'thing'. It was humanoid, with a big wobbly head (too big for its body). It was mostly covered in black, except for its mouth area, its hand, and its legs. But one thing was sure, it looked like a cat.

 _"That's right,"_ The 'thing' nodded. _"This castle IS the school... But only to the castle's ruler."_

"And I'm not going to finish that conversation," Rolling his eyes at the never-ending conversation between the three, Akira sneaked around and found a small opening on the wall.

Climbing in, Akira landed on an oddly luxurious-looking room, the floor was composed of black and white brick that looked like a checkerboard. He observed the surrounding, completely unaware of a guard walking up to him.

**"Intruder!"**

"Wha-" Before Akira could even finish, a sharp pain suddenly exploded in his head, knocking him out.

* * *

After god knew how long, Akira finally woke up from the blackout. Looking around, he found that he's in one of the room, being held by two armored men, and Kamoshida was standing in front of him.

...Wait, Kamoshida?

"What the fuck?!" He exclaimed in shock, widening his eyes at the person in front of him.

It was Kamoshida, but... why was he wearing a blanket over his... naked body?!

 ** _"Well well well, ain't we found an interesting one,"_** Kamoshida said in a heavily distorted voice, a creepy smirk crept to his face.

"Kamoshida, what the hell are you wearing?!"

 _ **"No one dared to speak to the king like this!"**_ One of the armored men yelled, punching his torso and sent out a wave of pain throughout his body.

"AH!" Yelling in pain, Akira clutched his eyes before glaring at kamoshida again.

Giggling, Kamoshida walked up to him and forcefully grabbed his hair. _**"I've always wanted revenge for your stupid and annoying behavior..."**_

_**"Guards, kill him."** _

Widening his eyes in fear, Akira quickly freed himself from the guards' grip, rolling on the ground to gain some distance between him and the guards. "T-this is not fucking real..." He murmured to himself.

 _ **"You can run away, just like how you used to,"**_ Kamoshida said with a mocking grin, his laughter filled the room around him. _**"You want to 'protect' others from me? Stop making me laugh."**_

"Shut the fuck up..."

_**"How many people did you actually 'protected'? No one!"** _

"I said, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Unable to hold his anger, Akira shouted with a hatred-filled glare. "Kimiko, Naoko, Shinji... The whole school was scarred for eternity because of you!"

_**"So what, it's my castle anyway, I can do whatever I want."** _

"Then I'll do anything to stop you," Clunching his fist in rage, Akira kept his glare on him. "THIS PLACE IS NOT YOUR FUCKING CASTLE!"

At that exact moment, the voice inside his head spoke again, following by pure pain.

_**"Are you sure that you'll anything to stop him?"** _

Gripping his head, Akira couldn't help but scream in agony, barely able to keep himself standing. "OF COURSE!"

**_"Very well, let us form a path."_ **

Opening his eyes, he could see that Kamoshida was staring at him in shock, sweat building up on his disgusting face.

**_"You had suffered from fighting back, but is it the wrong thing to do?"_ **

_**"Another one, right after Sakamoto..."**_ Kamoshida trailed off, too afraid to anything.

**_"You lied to yourself, saying that you've accepted this as fate..."_ **

**_"But even fate can be altered as long as the will of rebellion remains!"_ **

Just as suddenly as it came, the pain went away. Opening his eyes again, Akira could feel something on his face. It was a mask.

A slick, plain black domino mask.

Without a word, Akira gripped the edge of the mask and tore. It felt like tearing a piece of his face away, but for someway... it felt like the right thing to do.

A blaze of power and blue flame surrounded him, as well as a sense of power and freedom. Emerging from the flame, Akira found that he's no longer wearing his Shujin uniform.

Now, he was wearing a suit that reminded him of Gekkoukan's uniform, but the jacket was changed into something akin to a plain black trench coat, a top hat on his head while his hands were covered with black gloves.

And a large figure floated behind him. It was similar to Akira's costume, but it faces was covered by a plain black mask, holding a revolver in his right hand while his left hand was morphed into a hybrid between a hand and a claw.

**_"I am thou, thou art I. Thou who seek to protect, no matter the cost!"_ **

**_"I am Moriarty, the mastermind and sinner! One who finds the way to our true desire!"_ **

Summoning a scythe from thin air, Akira pointed it right at Kamoshida, his other hand held on to the tip of his hat.

"I'm not going to run away, Kamoshida." He said.

"I'm going to stay, and I'm going to fight!"

(To be continued)


	2. The Volleyball Slaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, since the FFN version is already 10 chapters long (Chapter 11 on the way), so I would daily update this fic here until we catch up on the FFN version.
> 
> And this chapter is somewhat influenced by Evangelion, you would know what I mean when you've read that part ;)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story so far! Comments are highly welcome :)

[The castle]

In the large looking room of Kamoshida's castle, Akira was standing in one end of the room, holding his scythe and pointed at the guards. Moriarty was still hovering behind him.

"I'm not going to run away, Kamoshida," Akira said, his tone filled with newfound strength. "I'm going to stay, and I'm going to fight!"

Shirking in fear, Kamoshida took a step back while the guards rush on in and faced the new Persona user. The guards quickly impaled their swords to themselves, revealing two Jack-o'-Lantern and three Agathion.

Tightening his grip on the scythe, Akira recalled Moriarty as his mask and leaped into the air. Using the gravity to build up momentum, he slashed a Jack-o'-Lantern in half, and it dissolved into nothing.

"Persona!" Taking this as his opportunity, the black-masked thief touched his mask and summoned Moriarty. Snapping its finger, the Persona sent out a ball of curse energy, burning another Agathion to nothingness.

Noting that a Jack-o'-Lantern firing a fireball at him, Akira quickly turned around and did an upward slash. The fireball was slashed in half, avoiding him and landed on the wall behind him, setting them on fire.

"Time to finish this," Murmuring to himself, Akira summoned Moriarty again. Then, he summoned a revolver in thin air, and the two pointed their guns at the shadows.

Without any hesitation, the two pulled the trigger and knocked the remaining shadow to the ground. Leaping into the air again, Akira used the wall as his support and bounced toward the shadows, slashing them with incredible speed.

Landing with a smooth crouch, Akira stood up and spun his scythe for a few seconds before planting it to the ground. He then pinned the tip of his hat with a smirk as the shadows burst with dark oozes.

**"NO MORE PROBLEMS, FAREWELL."**

Once the battle ended, Akira turned around and found that Kamoshida had already ran off and hidden away from him. "...Coward," Furrowing his brow, he took a few steps toward the door before collapsing in exhaustion, only using his scythe to support himself.

"D-dammit..." Murmuring to himself, he tightened his grip on his scythe as he continued his walk to the door. "I feel like the most exhausted I've ever been..."

Opening the door, Akira was greeted by an equally luxurious-looking hallway. and a lone guard was patrolling. Grabbing his revolver from the hoster, he was about to pull the trigger when he noticed that it's not a revolver in his hand.

Noting that the guard was about to turn around, the lone thief quickly hid behind a conveniently placed couch. "OK... what is this?" Examining the gun-shaped object in his hand, it took him not too long to realize that it's a grappling gun.

"Well, that's convenient," Shrugging, Akira pointed it to a ledge nearby, firing it and pulled himself to the ledge. Dashing as fast as possible, he was fortunate enough to reach the main hall without letting any guard spotting him.

However, once he reached the main door and readied to escape, multiple guards suddenly appeared from the ground and surrounded him. _**"No escape!"**_ The guards exclaimed, slashing themselves and revealing a huge group of shadows.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..." Giving out a deep sigh, Akita took a deep breath before touching his mask. "Moriarty! Eiha!"

Sending a burst of curse energy, a few shadows were heavily weakened but not one was defeated. Grunting in annoyance, Akira forced himself to jump and slashed them, dodging the attacks as much as possible.

However, with the exhausted state he's in, it was only a problem of 'when' for the shadows to overwhelm him. As a lone fireball hit his back while he was unexpected, the other shadows took this as their opening, striking Akira without letting him had any chance of fighting back.

Knocked back by a cleave, the Persona user rolled away from them before stopping. Struggling to get up, Akira used his scythe to keep himself from falling, looking at the group of shadow in front of him.

"H-how can I get out from this..." He breathed, touching his mask and summoned Moriarty. "Moriarty! Eiha-"

Suddenly, pain exploded in his head again. Dropping onto the ground, Akira clutched his head while twitching uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Moriarty was also mimicking his action, snow noises covering its body.

"AHHH-AHHH!"

However, as Akira continuing twitching in pain, memories and images flashed in his head.

_"Dad? What happened? Why won't you answer me?"_

_"Damn Apathy Syndrome, why did you have to take Mamoru from me!"_ Akira could only watch the woman wept uncontrollably, he couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, screamings filled the void and he didn't know who's scream it was. It felt like... a group of people was screaming in agony. Words and images flashed even faster than before.

_'Death'_

A silhouette of a woman hanging from the ceiling flashed in his mind, red lights flashed around her, acting like a spotlight. However, her face was distorted so much that he couldn't recognize who she was.

_'Losing'_

The face of that woman was closer now, but her feature was still distorted to a point it's more blank than anything else.

_'Agony'_

_'Pain'_

_'The pain won't stop'_

_'It won't stop'_

_'_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _It won't stop_ _'_

In the snow noise covering Moriarty's body, it's changed. The silhouette of Moriarty was changed into a humanoid beast with two giant wings, a slim horn sticking up on its head. The place where it's mouth should be divided into four pieces and opened, revealing a row of human-like teeth.

And it roared, a distorted, sinister, but oddly human-like roar.

It sounded like... someone's in pain.

A ball of energy with red and black built up in the mouth before bursting into a ray, slashing through the whole hall, leaving a trail.

Then the trail exploded, killing every shadow in an instant.

Just like that, the beast returned to Moriarty and faded, and the pain in Akira's head faded as well. Totally exhausted, Akira could only notice a blue butterfly flying over before darkness took over.

* * *

When Akira woke up, he found himself in the Velvet room again. Blinking and looking around, he found Elizabeth was sitting across him, a look of concern was clearly visible.

"...I didn't expect your awakening would be like this..." She murmured.

"E...Elizabeth? Is that right?" He questioned, standing up from the chair. "What the hell just happened?"

"You awaken your Persona, the rebel soul reside in the depth of your heart," The girl in blue answered, opening her book and Moriarty appeared.

"Moriarty..."

"Indeed, resides in the Fool Arcana, the mastermind and the sinner..." Trailing off, Elizabeth sighed and closed the book. "However, I didn't expect...it would be awakened as well."

"You know what is that?"

"No, I don't," She shook head in refusal, holding the book on her chest as she closed her eyes, sinking into deep thought. "But... You're too much like him..."

Shaking her head again to clear her mind, the girl in blue looked at Akira directly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway, now you're Persona has been awakened, I hope you can the infinite potential in you... please, don't overlook what you really can do."

"What can I do?"

"Using this strength... for others."

With that said, a white light suddenly surrounded him again, and the voice of someone slowly faded in.

* * *

_"Doctor, is he's gonna be alright?"_

_"Yes, it's mostly exhaustion."_

_"...Thank god..."_

Waking up again, Akira found himself to lay on a bed, an unfamiliar ceiling staring back at him. "Where am I?" He asked, barely louder than a whisper.

"Ichijou! You're alright!"

Before he could realize, someone suddenly exclaimed in relief, taking him by surprise. Looking to his side, his eyes widened at the someone.

It was Shiho.

"S-Suzui?" Akira asked, blinking for a moment before looking around. "H-how did I get here?"

"I was leaving late from the practice and found you lying unconsciously by the school gate." The volleyball player answered, leaning back into the chair. "I got worried and took you here."

Sitting up on the bed, Akira noticed that he's still wearing his Shujin uniform, and he's not in a hospital. "Suzui, where are we?"

"It's my clinic."

Startled with another voice, Akira looked over to the door and found a woman standing by the door, holding a pen and writing board.

The woman was in her late twenties, she had dark blue hair in a bob-cut, a typical white lab-coat that is worn over a short black dress. Also, he could spot a red belt on her wrist, as well as a black necklace choker with multiple necklaces.

"I am Takemi Tae, and she suddenly went into my clinic while carrying you on her back," The woman commented, using her board to cover her giggle. "This girl had to carry you from Aoyama-Itchome to here, can you believe this?"

"Takemi Tae?" Raising an eye in confusion, it took Akira a moment before realizing where exactly was here. "Oh, I'm back in Jongen-Jaya..."

"Wait a sec," Widening his eyes in realization again, looking at Shiho with a shocked face. "Suzui, why didn't you just call the ambulance? It must be hard for you to carry me from school to here..."

"I... It's just in the heat of the moment," Shiho hastily replied, brushing her hair to hide the blushes on her face. "My mom mentioned Takemi-San's clinic, so I just got you here."

"That's very 'convincing'," Akira deadpanned, but as he noted the bruises covering her hand and the exposed legs, he took a deep breath before looking into her eyes. "Suzui, you don't need to stay here."

"But... You're not alright-"

"It's just exhaustion," He interrupted her, glancing at Tae behind her. "Dr. Takemi, is it right?"

"You're right," Tae nodded, lowering her board.

"You heard that, Suzui? I'm just exhausted," Akira sighed. "Just go home and have your rest. We're just frien- ...we're just schoolmates, and I'm not worthy for you to care about me."

"But-"

"You heard the rumors, right? I sexually assaulted Kimiko and she killed herself!" He suddenly exclaimed, much to Shiho's surprise. "If I'm not the cousin of Kirijo Mitsuru, I was already expelled from Shujin-"

"No, it wasn't you," Shiho retorted, shaking her head as she tried to hold the tears from leaking. "I knew what happened, it was someone else who did it. P-please, don't think this low to yourself-"

"I'm not thinking about myself," Akira interrupted her in mid-sentence, avoiding her gaze as he stared to the wall in front of him. "I don't want the rumors to reach you... just leave me alone..."

Shiho didn't answer him, just taking a deep breath before standing up and grabbed her shoulder bag. "If you say so..." She muttered under her breath, leaving the clinic without any word said.

Once Shiho left the clinic, Tae couldn't help herself but gave out a sigh. "You cared about her, right?"

Akira only looked down for a moment before avoiding the question in all together. "...I should be able to leave, right?"

Knowing that she won't get anything worthy from Akira, Tae sighed and gestured to the door beside her. "Of course, you're just exhausted."

Nodding and looked down in deep thought for a second, Akira hastily muttered a 'thank you' before grabbing his school bag, leaving the clinic. Once the door was closed, Tae couldn't help herself but give out a deep sigh.

"...How did those councilors able to make them open up?"

* * *

[13th April]

Even though Akira expected some rumors about him and Shiho would spread around the whole school, but for some reason... It didn't.

"Well, today is the volleyball rally..." Muttering to himself, Akira quickly walked back to his seat in the classroom, continuing to ignore the whispers around him.

After all, he needed to find a way to get through the whole volleyball rally, especially when everyone was all over Kamoshida. All over that bastard.

"It's gonna be a long day..." Trailing off, Akira's train of thought was interrupted as Kawakami suddenly announced to the whole class.

"OK, listen up everyone," The homeroom teacher said, grabbing everyone's attention. "As you all know, today is the volleyball rally. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed. got it?"

Sighing, Akira followed everyone else to the changing room.

* * *

[Afternoon, the gymnasium]

Yep, just as he expected, the volleyball rally was incredibly boring for everyone else who wasn't into Kamoshida. Looking around, Akira decided to walk over to a corner, right next to Ren and Ryuji.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"Of course not," Ren nodded, gesturing to the empty space next to him. "It's empty anyway."

Giving him a faint smile in return, Akira sat down and looked into the volleyball game in a boring look. However, just as he glanced at the two, he only noticed that Ryuji was constantly staring at Ann on the other end.

"Still sticks out..." He muttered to himself, just loud enough for Ren to hear him. "Hasn't changed a bit."

"Well, it's hard to ignore that shade of blonde," Ren commented, shrugging as he noticed Akira had been staring at them for a little while now. "What's so funny, Ichijou?"

Quickly hiding his grin, Akira shook his head in response. "It's nothing... Just... it's kinda ironic that Sakamoto would say something like this when he dyed his hair to blonde for ages."

"Considering that you dyed your hair for Takamaki."

"Wha-" Widening his eyes in surprise, Ryuji hastily leaned over Ren and gave Akira a death glare. "Where did you heard that from?"

"Well, back when we all first came to Shujin, you've been gathering attention from everyone," Akira explained, pointing at his hair to signify what exactly was gathering attention. "Then someone who used to be in the same middle school as you told us the whole story."

"Back when Takamaki first transferred to your school, she was outcasted because of her natural blonde. Then in order to divert the attention away from her, you decided to dye your hair blonde."

Ren was surprised to hear the story about Ryuji, giving him a knowing look. "No wonder..."

"Sha-shaddup..." Ryuji muttered, avoiding their glances as a hint of a blush crept onto his face.

Patting his shoulder as an encouragement, Ren smiled as he returned his gaze to the match happening before him.

However, just as the girls started chanting, Akira blinked for a few times before looking up, narrowing his gaze at Kamoshida.

Just as Kamoshida gave another hard spike toward the student team, sending it straight to Mishima's face. Someone suddenly pushed him away from the ball and taking the ball for himself, blood splatting onto his uniform and knocked him down.

For a moment, there are only the echos of the ball bouncing on the ground in the whole gymnasium.

And once everyone had come back from their shocking state, they realized who took the hit for Mishima.

"I-Ichijou?!" Widening his eyes at Akira, Mishima quickly rushed and helped Akira to sit up. "W-what's wrong with you? Why would you do that?"

"Instinct... I guess," Wiping the dripping blood on his face, Akira still forced a faint smile onto his face. "Damn... that was something else..."

Shaking his head, Mishima turned to Kamoshida. "Mr. Kamoshida, can I take him to the nurse's office?"

Kamoshida, who was still in shock at everything escalated, hastily nodded with a fake smile. "O-of course, get him to the nurse's office, quick!"

Nodding, Mishima quickly gave him a pack of tissues to handle the bleeding while taking him to the nurse's office. However, he could still overhear some chatters around him.

_"What the hell is wrong with him?"_

_"Who cares? He deserves it anyway."_

_"Yeah, after what happened to Akashi-chan... I couldn't help but hope for anything to happen on him..."_

_"Now you've reminded me... Akashi... I wish she is still alive, so she could see what is happening to him."_

'Rumors never change, right?' Akira thought bitterly, shaking his head to block out those chatters.

* * *

Even though it took a long while, but Akira's nose-bleed was dealt with. Pinching his nosebridge to keep the bandages from falling down, Akira quickly changed from his blood-stained sports uniform to his normal one.

Walking down the hallway and ignoring the chatters around him, Akira noticed Ryuji running toward the courtyard. Raising an eye in curiosity, Akira decided to follow him.

Once they're in the courtyard, Akira noticed that Ann and Ren were having a conversation of their own. "Anyway, what's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all." Ann said, raising an eye at Ren.

"It's something out of my control..." Ren trailed off, twisting a strand of his hair. "But-"

Before Ren could finish her answer, Ryuji walked in with an irritated look, staring at the blonde. "Whaddya want with him?"

Shifting her glance from Ren to him, Ann only stared at him with an unimpressed look. "Right back at you. You're not even in our class."

Widening his eyes for a split second, the ex-runner darted between her and Ren for a while, trying to come up with a response. "...We just happened to get to know each other."

Changing her unimpressed look to a suspicious one, Ann took a step further toward Ryuji. "What're you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?"

"Huh?!" Widening his eyes for a split second again, Ryuji nodded to himself before glaring at her. "I see, I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."

Even though it's not visible to Ann and Ren, but Akira could feel a hint of... envy.

Knowing that their argument would only escalate further than he hopes, Akira quickly cleared his throat and grabbed everyone's attention. "For the love of God, just stop it."

"Ichijou?!" The three all exclaimed in unison, surprised at his appearance. "W-Ain't you-"

"I just got out of the nurse's office and found you arguing with each other," Sighing, Akira leaned back to the fences behind him. "Sakamoto, when did you sure that Takamaki's all 'buddy-buddy with Kamoshida'?" He asked, quoting the 'buddy-buddy with Kamoshida' part with his finger.

"From the rumors-" Ryuji interrupted himself in mid-sentence, widening his eyes at Ann. "Oh."

"And Takamaki, I don't know what exactly happened between you and Kamoshida," Akira continued, closing his eyes for a second. "But I guess everyone here wants Kamoshida out of this school."

"Right..." Ann trailed off, looked distant as she remembered what happened. "Sakamoto got his leg broken from Kamoshida, and you..."

"I know, Kimiko."

Ryuji widened his eyes from realization while Ren was confused. Who was the 'Kimiko' Akira was talking about? And why her name was a... taboo to talk about?

"I could never forget 'bout her..." Ryuji murmured, closing his eyes for a second and turned to Ren. "Oh right, you don't know about Akashi."

However, Akira interrupted Ryuji from explaining, decided to tell the story on his own. "I'll explain it to him." He said, resting his hands to his pockets. "Kimiko... or Akashi Kimiko was a close friend of mine, and the leader of the volleyball team."

"A member of the volleyball team..." Murmuring to himself, Ren nodded in realization. "That means she was a victim of Kamoshida as well?"

"She's the main target... because she always decided to sacrifice herself for the other member," Akira continued, taking a deep breath to stop the memories to overwhelm him. "But then... the day before the national... she hanged herself."

Widening his eyes in shock, Ren opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"I know what you're going to say to me, it's been a few months anyway," Akira murmured, intentionally chocked and a few strands of tears dripped along his cheeks. "The funny thing is... after I confronted Kamoshida for Kimiko, he started rumors that I sexually assaulted... no, raped Kimiko and was the reason she killed herself."

"Kamoshida..." Ren murmured, clutching his hand into a tight fist.

"I was able to stay because he couldn't find any concrete evidence against me," Wiping his tears with his hand, he took a few deep breaths to stop the tears. "Naoko and Shinji left the school after this, and that fucker as a principal covered the whole thing for 'school reputation'."

"Take this as a bit of personal advice," Finally recomposed himself, Akira gave the three a serious gaze. "Most teachers didn't know the other side of Kamoshida, the principal knows... And the parents know too. They're just covering for each other."

"You can't just get him out of this school by conventional means."

With that said, Akira got off from the fences and started to walk away, not before stopping in mid-track and turned around, glancing at Ann specifically. "Takamaki, when you meet Suzui, can you tell her that I'm sorry for what I said?"

Before she could answer him, Akira continued his walk to the hallway. Leaving the three with conflicted mood.

After a long while of silence, Ryuji turned to Ann with an apologetic look. "Well... uh... I'm sorry, Takamaki."

"Me too..." Ann returned with a faint nod, pondering about what Akira just said. "...I'm going to check on Shiho, just be careful."

With that said, Ann hastily walked away from the courtyard.

* * *

[14th April]

After the entire incident with Akira and Ann in the courtyard, Ren had been searching about Kimiko's suicide online. Apparently, there were only a few news which talked about it.

Giving out a heavy sigh to this thought, Ren was about to drift into the abyss when his phone buzzed. Taking it out, it was Ryuji who texted him.

**Ryuji: So about witness...**

**Ryuji: I was wondering if we could hear something outta Takamaki.**

**Ren: Why didn't you asked her yesterday then?**

**Ryuji: I just forgot 'bout it, OK?**

**Ren: If you say so...**

**Ryuji: Anyway, I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them.**

**Ryuji: And Takamaki's BFFs with a starter, a girl named Suzui.**

**Ryuji: I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing.**

**Ren: So we ask Takamaki to talk to her.**

**Ryuji: You're right! That's the plan!**

**Ryuji: Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us.** **Ryuji: Sorry, Lemme see what else I can come up with.**

Sighing as he put the phone back into his pocket, Ren glanced behind him for a moment, noting that Akira was staring at the window. "Kamoshida needs to be put down, fast..." He heard him muttering to himself.

And Ren wholeheartedly agreed with him.

* * *

[Afterschool]

Once the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Ren decided to find Shiho and have a talk with her. Luckily, she wasn't that hard to find. Noticing her staring at her phone with a downcasted look, Ren walked up to her.

"...What?" She asked, pocketing her phone. "Oh... I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..."

"No, you're not in the way," Ren quickly reassured her, putting on a soft smile. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Huh?" Fidgeting slightly, Shiho looked down at her feet to avoid his gaze. "Um, well..."

However, she noted who she was talking too, and her gaze shifted back to him. "Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be that transfer from Class D?"

"Yes, it's me." Ren nodded, pushing his glasses.

"Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let don't let the rumors get to you, OK...?"

Raising an eye in curiosity, the fuzzy-haired boy decided to ask, "Why do you say that?"

"Well, I've helped with some similar situations before..." She trailed off, looking distant as she remembered Ann's situation. "...My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks..."

'Poor girl...' He thought, biting his lips to stop himself from doing anything stupid. She was too good for this school, too good.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that," Shiho said apologetically. "Anyway, I have to go to practice... I'll see you around."

With that said, Shiho quickly walked away with a downcasted look. However, she stopped for a second and stared at someone behind him, but quickly ignored him and walked away.

Turning around, Ren found that Akira was standing behind him, staring at Shiho's back with a somber face.

"Ichijou? Why are you here?"

Slightly surprised, Akira hastily recomposed himself. "I wanted to give her an apology... But it seems like she really took my word at face value."

"An apology... Did something happened between you two?"

"It's a personal matter," He quickly rejected, shaking his head. "But... if I guess, Sakamoto should be waiting for you-"

Suddenly, Akira stopped himself and blinked, widening his eyes in horror. "Shit, this is fucking bad."

Without another word, Akira rushed off to the stairs at incredible speed, leaving Ren standing at where he was, completely confused.

* * *

After a long while of waiting and preparing, Akira was waiting on a corner in the hallway. The volleyball team's practice had ended a few minutes ago, and Shiho would be called in just fifteen minutes.

"Please be working..." He murmured to himself, his thought returned to what he had done a few moments prior. "Stuffing the lock with paper... Is that the best you can think of?"

However, before he could have any time to regret or even hesitate, the voice of Mishima startled him.

_"Mr. Kamoshida's asking for you... He's in the PE faculty office."_

Knowing that there's no second chance, Akira took the second stairs and reached the PE faculty office without her noticing. Once she entered the office, Kamoshida closed the door with a 'click', locking the room.

However, he could notice the slight difference between how it should sound and what it actually sounded. 'Yes! I did it!' Cheering in his mind, he quickly took out his phone and started to record for a video, stuffing it to his jacket's front pocket with only it's camera exposed.

Taking a deep breath, Akira grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. Even though he expected it, but seeing this with his own eye... it fueled him with rage.

Kamoshida was pinning Shiho to the table with his hands with a wicked grin, but the sudden appearance of blinding light stopped him. Looking behind, he saw Akira standing in the doorway, his hands clutched into a pair of tight fists.

"Ichijou..." The PE teacher was staring at him with a rage-filled gaze. "You were always a pain in my ass."

"As much as I hate to say it, I am thinking the exact same thing," Akira said, taking a step into the office. "Trying to rape a student..."

"And the worst thing is, this is not the first time you did it..."

Irritated, Kamoshida released his grip on Shiho and turned around. "You mean Akashi?" He raised an eye, a disgusting grin crept onto his face. "Right, that stupidly brave girl... You won't believe how good she made me felt..."

Hearing how Kamoshida described... no, humiliated Kimiko, filled Akira with more rage... and hatred.

_**"Right, you have all the reason in the world... He's the one who raped Kimiko!"** _

Without another word, Akira dashed toward him and struck Kamoshida's torso. However, the PE teacher only grabbed his fist in ease grinned. "When did you thought that you're going to beat me in a fistfight?"

"Never," Akira said, his tone was chillingly calm, as if he already made up his mind. "But if I'd to die trying, so be it."

Catching his other fist, Kamoshida's grin widened and twisted Akira's arm, causing him to cry in pain. "You know, I can totally call it a 'self-defense', and no one will believe you."

"I know, you thought the whole school as your fucking castle..." Akira muttered through the pain, staring at Shiho behind him.

She was devastated, crawling further into the corner while weeping, fear and concern were clearly visible on her face. Closing his eyes to calm himself, Akira smirked and looked back at Kamoshida.

"I take that back," He said. "Do you ever think I'll risk Shiho in a fistfight with you?"

Sensing the grip on his fists softened for a split second, Akira shifted his gaze at Shiho. "Suzui! Just get the fuck outta here!"

Even though still shocked, Shiho hesitantly nodded before leaving the office. Once she was gone, Akira quickly released himself from Kamoshida's grip and exited the room, closing the door and rushed to Shiho.

Grabbing her hand, Akira led her to somewhere far from the office. "You're alright?" He asked, ignoring the pain lingering in his arms.

Shiho only stared at his arms, red mark covering his wrist. "...Why? Why did you do that?"

"Now Ann's the one who'll..." She trailed off, clutching her head as her eyes widened in fear. "No... no no no no no..."

"Suzui, Takamaki's going to fine!" Without thinking twice, Akira grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "Just look at me, you two are going to be fine, I promise."

"You promise?" Even though her feature softened for a bit, but Akira could still feel the fear lingering. "But..."

"Yes, I promise," He said with a determined look, tightening his drip. "No one's going to get-"

However, before Akira could finish, Shiho suddenly pushed him away with a blank look. "You're just lying... Just stop lying..." She muttered, turning around and ran away.

He could just stand and watched her ran away, too shocked to do anything. 'N-no way...'

However, he wasn't shocked at her sudden change in behavior, but in her eyes.

For a split second, her eyes changed from the usual brown to bright gold. Just like how Kamoshida was inside the castle.

(To Be Continued)


	3. The Swan Maiden

[Evening, Kirijo Group]

Kirijo Mitsuru was checking the different contracts and documents when her phone suddenly buzzed. Raising an eye in confusion, she took it out and checked who's calling. "Yamagishi? Why calling all so sudden?"

_"Mitsuru-Senpai..."_ Yamagishi said through the phone, clearly worried and afraid. _"Juno just picked up some mysterious presence in Tokyo... And it's similar to how_ _Minato_ _was..."_

Widening her eyes in shock, The owner of Kirijo Group couldn't help but shiver. "P-please, don't tell me it's Akira..."

_"I don't want it to be true either..."_ Yamagishi sighed, taking a long while before continuing. _"That presence isn't like how Minato and Narukami was... It felt like Nyx all over again."_

"That means... it's really him," Clutching the phone in her hand, Mitsuru leaned over to her desk and pinched her nosebridge. "I'll call everyone tomorrow. We can't just sit here and let it happen on its own."

_"But... The Shadow Operative wasn't active because of... you know, him."_

"The police did force us to be inactive, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything under their nose," She replied, opening a folder called 'SO members' on her laptop. "I have someone neither the police or Shido was aware of."

_"You mean... someone who wasn't disclosed as a member of Shadow Operative?"_

"Indeed," Mitsuru nodded. "I only have one name here that they don't know..."

_"You're talking about Kamisaki, right?"_ Yamagishi asked.

"Yes," She nodded again, letting out a heavy sigh. "And we can only rely on him right now..."

* * *

[April 15th, morning]

Akira didn't have a great sleep, or any sleep at all. After the whole event with Kamoshida and Shiho, he just kept worrying about Shiho. 'I can save her from Kamoshida, but I can't keep doing this...' He thought bitterly.

Noting the approaching school gate, Akira put down his headphones and overheard two student's conversation.

_"I can't believe Suzui-senpai missed such an important meeting. I wonder what happened."_

_"Mr. Kamoshida asked to see her. I've heard rumors about how the two of them stay late together..."_

_"Wait, I heard rumors that Ichijou did something to Kamoshida yesterday..."_

"Just as usual, huh?" Sighing, Akira decided to put on his headphones again. Maybe he should buy an ear-bud so that he could listen to music in a lesson too...

The day went on as usual, with boring classes after boring classes. However, just as Mr. Ushimaru's lesson was about to begin, Akira suddenly stood up from his seat and ran out of the classroom.

Even though Ren was confused at his unusual behavior, he decided to let it go and continued in his day.

Until something suddenly moved in his drawer, startling him.

"Have you made up your mind?" It was Morgana, who was still in his 'cat' form. "No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me."

Hastily glancing around to make sure that no one was looking at his direction, Ren stared at the 'Cat' with a furrowed brow. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hm?" Before Morgana could give his answer, Mr. Ushimaru suddenly stopped his lecture and asked out loud. "Did I just hear a cat just now?"

The whole class looked around to see if there's a cat here or not. Widening its eyes, Morgana hastily meowed, for some unknown reason.

"Hm... Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby?" Noting that the chatters started to build up, Mr. Ushimaru quickly cleared his throat with a loud 'Ahem', silencing everyone. "Settle down! we're in the middle of an important lecture!"

Seeing that no one was talking anymore, the Social Studies teacher returned to his lecture. Time passed for a little longer before the teacher turned around and asked again, "Actually, anyone knows where is Ichijou?"

The whole class glanced with each other, but no one came out and reply. "...He's going to face serious consequences when I find him..."

With that said, the class returned into a state of silence again. However, a few more minutes later, someone suddenly stared at the window and shouted.

"Hey... What's that...?!"

Then, another student noticed what's happening outside and widened her eyes in horror. "Wait... she's going to jump...!"

Chatters and whispers started to emerge until the whole class erupted into chaos, while Mr. Ushimaru was struggling to keep the class in order. Mishima looked over slowly, and a look of horror crept onto his face.

"S-Suzui?"

"Shiho...?!" Widening her eyes, Ann couldn't keep her body shivering before getting off her seat and rushed out of the classroom.

Meanwhile, Shiho was standing on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the abyss below her. Her eyes looked... dead, empty. She held a hand to her chest and clutched into a fist.

_**"That's right, just jump, and Kamoshida won't get to you anymore..."** _

The voice of her own rang inside her head, and she nodded in response.

"Right..."

_**"This world is full of shits anyway, what's the point to be alive?"** _

Closing her eyes, Shiho took a step forward and fell, hoping that everything will be alright after this. However, Someone suddenly grabbed her arm and held tight, stopping her from her 'escape'.

"Wha- Who..." Opening her eyes, the volleyball player looked up and saw the one who was keeping her from falling. "I-Ichijou?"

It was Akira.

"U...Urgh..." Grunting, Akira tightened his grip with both of his hands. "G-Gotcha."

"Why... why are you here?"

"I... I was worried about your safety..." He said, using all his strength to pull her back up. "I-I figured it out that saving you from Kamoshida won't be the end..."

"...J-Just let me go..." Shiho murmured, tears started to leak and trailed over her face. "I-I can't take it anymore..."

"...You're scared of what Kamoshida would do to Ann, right?" Akira muttered, clutching his eyes for a split second. "I promise you. I won't let Kamoshida lay his fucking hand on anyone! Just... please, don't do this to yourself."

However, Shiho just looked down into the abyss, letting the tears drop. "I... I just want to die... just let me go... pleas-"

"I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" He exclaimed, interrupting her as his tears started to leak. "I-I... I've seen enough people die in my miserable life!"

"I may not have a future, but you DO!" Akira continued, slowly losing his strength to keep her from falling. "I know something that might able to get Kamoshida's ass out of here. It's not worth it to give up!"

"Y-you know something?"

"Believe in me, please..." Trailing off, he could feel her arms slowly but surely slipping in his grasp. "D-dammit, I'm losing you..."

"SHIHO!"

Suddenly, Ann ran over and gripped Shiho's arms with all her strength. "Ichijou, let's pull together." She said, clutching her eyes as she readied to pull. "One, two, THREE!"

Taking the hint, Akira and Ann pulled together and abled to get Shiho back into the rooftop. Once she was back to the roof, Ann instantly held the volleyball player into her arms, and the two couldn't help but broke down. However, Akira just wiped his tears with his sleeve, noticing Ren and Ryuji rushing through the door.

"Suzui! You're OK?" Ryuji, being who he was, rushed forward and didn't take the hint that they need to be alone for a little while.

Thankfully, Ren quickly grabbed his arms and stopped him from moving forward. "Ryuji, Just leave them be for now."

"O-Oh... right."

Knowing that they wanted to know why she suddenly wanted to jump, Akira got up from the ground and walked over to them. "I don't think you would want to know what exactly happened..."

"You know?" Ann suddenly asked, causing Akira to shiver. "You know why Shiho suddenly became like this?"

However, just as Akira was about to explain, Shiho suddenly poked her head out and shook her head. "...I-Ichijou... Let me tell them..."

"But..."

"Please... just let me..." She insisted. "You... You've done enough for me..."

Akira pondered for a moment, before sighing in submission and nodded. "Fine... but I'll help you if there are some places too hard for you."

"...Thank you," Nodding, Shiho wiped her tears and chocked. "I-It was yesterday... after practice, I was going to pick up my bag and leave when Mishima came up to me..."

"He said Mr. Kamoshida was looking for me..."

Ryuji tightened his fist at the mention of that name, biting his lips to stop himself from rushing down and confront Kamoshida. Ann, on the other hand, only widened her eyes in horror, darting between Ren and Shiho.

"I-I went to the office... and he..." Shiho trailed off, embracing herself as she started to sob uncontrollably. "He..."

Noting that Shiho didn't want to recollect those memories, Akira decided to continue for her. "I think I'll take over from here," He sighed, pulling his phone out from his pocket. "I hate to say it, but Kamoshida almost... raped her."

Silence came down and covered the whole rooftop, and only the sound of Shiho's sobbing was audible. Akira glanced between Ann and the two boys, and they were staring at him with a horrified look. Ann recollected her memories for a second before suddenly grabbed his collar and pushed him to the wall next to the door.

"Is this true?" She muttered with a distinct edge, glaring at him. "Is Kamoshida almost did..."

Akira nodded. "And it's not the first time he did it."

Widening her eyes for a split second, Ann glanced at Shiho with a look of guilt "...It's because of me declining his request..."

"Not the first time..." Ren muttered to himself, shifting his glasses. "...It's Akashi, right?"

"Yes, that fucker admitted that he raped Kimiko too..." He trailed off, grabbing Ann's hand and got them off of his collars. "And Takamaki, you should be more worried about Suzui than me."

However, Ann didn't get to open her mouth before Ryuji exclaimed in anger, "That fuckin' it! I'm goin' to find Kamoshida!"

With that said, Ryuji ran off with Ren following him in concern, and Ann gave them a worried look before turning to Shiho, leaving Akira standing aside and watched.

"Shiho, let me get you to the nurse's office," She said, giving out a hand for her to get up. "...I have a lot of things I want to apologize... It's my fault that you have to go through all this..."

"No... I'm going through all this because I don't want you to..." Trailing off, tears started to leak from Shiho's eyes again as she buried her face into her palms. "Just... I'm sorry..."

"Shiho..."

Seeing that the two girls weren't going to do anything, Akira lifted him out of the wall and helped Shiho to stand up. "Takamaki, we should get her to the nurse's 'office for some rest. Save the apology for later."

Even though she was hesitant, but Ann nodded and helped him to keep Shiho up, holding one of her arms over the model's shoulder. Meanwhile, Akira opened the door for them, and reluctantly followed them.

After all, his life in this shithole as a school was just filled rumors and whispers, if he were found with them, their life here would only worsen. However, Shiho's well-being was more important now.

After getting her to the nurse's office, Shiho was offered to have a rest here until the school ended. Ann was sitting next to the bed while Akira just stood next to her, leaning to the wall behind him.

Shiho stayed silent for a moment, before turning to Ann. "Ann... I think you should check on Sakamoto," She murmured, surprising Ann and Akira.

"B-but-"

"I'm fine..." She trailed off. "But Sakamoto and Amamiya confronted... him, and you know what happened last time Sakamoto..."

"This aside... I want to talk with Ichijou alone."

Opening her mouth and closing again, Ann looked between the two for a second before sighing. "Ichijou, please look after her for me." She said, standing up of her chair and left the nurse's office.

Once the model had left the nurse's office, Shiho tore her eyes from Ann to Akira. "Ichijou... When you say you have something on him, did you mean it?"

Widening his eyes for a split second, Akira nodded without a second thought. "Of course, I won't say something just for the sake of it."

Nodding to herself, the volleyball player looked down for a moment before looking into Akira's eyes. "Then, I want to help you." She said determinately.

And this shocked him.

"W-what?!" He shuttered, widening his eyes at her. "N-no! You've been through enough shit at this point. I don't want you to throw yourself into more danger..."

"But you already did this exact same thing for me, twice!" Shiho exclaimed, tightening her hands into fists. "You threw yourself to save me from Kamo-him, and you just did this today..."

"I don't want you to do this again!"

Akira just stared at her with shock, he tried to come up with a response, but nothing came out. "I... I don't care how many times I did this. If it's for you, I'm fine with that-"

"But I'm not fine," She retorted, shaking her head while clutching her eyes shut. "I feel so... useless. I couldn't do anything when you came in and save me. I just sat there and did nothing!"

"Then I did what? I tried to kill myself, and you threw yourself to save me again!" Practically shouting at this point, Shiho took a few seconds to calm herself. "I couldn't do anything for Ann, or you... So please, let me help you."

"Shiho..." Trailing off, Akira turned around and stared at the window for a long moment. On the one hand, he almost died in that castle. If Shiho, a non-Persona-user, was caught in that place... He didn't know whether he could keep her safe or not.

But he couldn't just ignore her wishes for 'her safety'. What if she insisted or even stalked him to enter that castle? After a few moments of pondering, Akira gave out a huge sigh and faced Shiho again.

"...Fine, just meet me at the front gate after school."

* * *

[After school, Courtyard]

After telling Akira to look after Shiho, Ann looked around the school before she found the two boys. And they were furious, for some reason. And a black cat is standing next to them on a table.

Raising an eye, Ann decided to stay behind for a moment to overhear their conversation.

"We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!" Ryuji exclaimed in anger, smacking his fist to the vending machine next to him. "Ren, you agree?"

"...We're not beating him up," Morgana said, shaking his head. "We're simply stealing his distorted desires."

"Frankly, I'm fine with beating him up." Ren murmured with an unusual cold tone, pushing his glasses. "Suzui almost died because of that piece of shit, if Ichijou wasn't there in time..."

"So, I take this as you've made up your mind about this?" Morgana asked. "Even though he might suffer a mental shutdown?"

"Suzui almost died because of him!" Ryuji yelled, tightening his fists. "I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore!"

"There's no other way," Ren added, pushing his glasses just enough to reflect the light. "We're putting our life here on the line, Morgana."

Morgana nodded in response. "...Then it's settled then."

Nodding, Ren was about to say something when Ann decided to hop into the conversation. "Is it true that you're getting expelled?" She asked, surprising the two boys and the cat. "Everyone's talking about it..."

Sighing, Ryuji closed his eyes and shook his head. "That asshole's at it again!"

"So you came all this way to tell us that?"

"No," Ann firmly denied, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Shiho almost killed herself because of Kamoshida. If you are going to deal with him, let me in too."

"I can't just stand here and do nothing!"

Ryuji looked at his feet for a moment, pondering for a second before looking up again. "I know what you're feeling, but... it's not something you should be involved with."

"Even though Shiho's alright now, what'll happen if Kamoshida does this again!" The model exclaimed, taking a step forward. "Remember Akashi? I don't want Shiho to walk on her path!"

"We don't want this to happen as well!" The ex-runner retorted with the same volume, clutching his eyes. "That's why we... I can't let you in! You're just getting yourself killed!"

Widening her eyes in surprise, Ann struggled to keep her emotion in check before running off, leaving the three in their places. Once she was gone, Ryuji gave out a heavy sigh.

"...I hate to do this to her," He murmured, glancing at Ren and Morgana. "But for her sake, let's get to the business, alright?"

"Yeah," Ren nodded, and so as Morgana.

* * *

[Meanwhile, the front gate]

Once the school ended, Akira instantly stayed at the front gate and waited for Shiho. Thankfully, she arrived after just a few minutes, looking a bit better than earlier today.

"You looked better, Suzui," He commented, a hint of a smile crept to his face.

"I know," Shiho nodded, tightening her grip on her shoulder bag. "Now, what should we do to get Kamoshida out of this place?"

Looking around, Akira spotted a dark valley nearby and led her over there, taking out his phone and opened the Meta-Nav.

"Why are we here?" She asked, her body faintly shivering from her imagination. "D-don't tell me that you're just lying-"

"I need to make sure no one spots us," He explained, opening the navigation history tab and tapped the only destination there. "But, I promise, I'll keep you safe."

**_"Kamoshida... Shujin Academy... Pervert... Castle..."_ **

**_"beginning navigation."_ **

Without warning, a sense of nausea suddenly hit Shiho as she saw the world around her distorted with red and purple. Before she could realize, the school was changed into a giant castle.

"W-What the hell?" Exclaiming in surprise, the volleyball player glanced around before landing on Akira. "...I-Ichijou, what are you wearing?"

"Hmm?" Raising an eye under the mask, Akira looked at his outfit for a second before shrugging. "I don't know when did I change into this, but it looked cool, right?"

"Kinda..." Trailing off, Shiho walked over to the front gate of the castle, processing the sheer size of it. "Ichijou, where are we?"

"It's Shujin, in a sense," He said, pointing at the plate with 'Shujin Academy' craved into it. "But if I had to guess, it's somewhere in Kamoshida's heart."

"You guess?" Narrowing her eyes, the volley-ball player walked and stopped in front of him. "YOU GUESS?!"

"...Well, I've only been here once," Akira admitted, holding his hands up in a defensive stance. "But this place must be related to Kamoshida, I'm certain of it."

"...I'll let this slip, for once," Giving out a heavy sigh, Shiho walked over to the back of Akira. "Lead the way, Ichijou."

Nodding, Akira led her to the hole on the wall next to the large door, climbing up and entered the castle before holding out a hand for her. "Here, take my hand."

Shiho looked in height for a second before jumping up, taking his hand and he pulled her into the castle as well. Landing on the black and white tiles, they decided to explore the castle together.

['King, Queen, and Slave' plays]

Walking down the hallway of the castle, they couldn't help but notice how luxurious it was. "This place is creeping me out..." Shiho murmured, unaware of her hand, which was gripping on Akira's trench jacket. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"We're more exploring this place than going somewhere," Akira said, noting a lone guard around the corner. "Hide, quick!"

Without a second thought, Akira grabbed Shiho by her arm and dashed to a drawer nearby, hiding from the armored shadow. "...What exactly are we hiding from?" Shiho whispered, peeking out to see the lone guard approaching them. "Ichijou, what is that?"

"Shadow," He answered, taking out his grappling gun from his holster. "Stay here, OK? I'll take care of him."

With no hesitation, Akira fired the grappling gun and attached with it's back, struggling to keep his balance, he gripped the edge of the shadow's mask. "Let's hope this will work..." Murmuring to himself, he tightened his grip before ripping off the mask.

The lone guard twitched uncontrollably before dissolving into black goo, and two Pixies emerge from the goo. _**"Intruder! How dare you!"**_

"Sorry, but I need to get you two out of the way, Persona!" Shrugging, Akira touched his mask and summoned Moriarty, "Eiha!"

Sending two quick bursts of curse energy, the two shadows were knocked down to the ground. Snapping his finger, Akira commanded the Persona again, "Revolver shot."

**(Revolver shot: light Gun damage to one foe)**

With two more loud 'bang' from Moriarty's revolver, the two Pixies screamed in agony before dissolving into nothing. Returning Moriarty as his mask, Akira quickly walked over to Shiho.

"W-what just happened?" Shiho shuttered, still in shock from the even happened before her. "What's that thing you just summoned?"

"It's a Persona, the only way to fight back those shadows," Akira shrugged again, adjusting his tophat. "Anyway, we should be able to continue."

"R-right."

With a hesitant nod, the two continued on their path in the castle, avoiding as many conflicts as possible and only fight when it's their last resort. However, they quickly encountered a place called 'training hall', with screaming kept leaking out from the door.

Feeling the knot tightened in his stomach, Akira glanced at Shiho next to him. "A-are we going to investigate that place?" He asked, unintentionally gulping.

"I... I don't know-"

However, before she could finish her sentence, the sound of clattering footsteps was heard coming for them. They quickly hid somewhere nearby, just enough to keep them out of sight.

An army of soldiers with rusted silver armor rushed through the whole room. And the shouting from one of them was extremely audible. _**"We have intruders! It's the thieves from before!"**_

Raising an eye and looked at each other for a second, the two decided to follow the guards from the shadows. It led them back to the first floor of West Building, and the two continued their exploration until they found a room that freed them from the heavy feeling.

"I think we can take a break here," Akira suggested, sitting down on one of the chairs and sighed. "Suzui, you're OK?"

Shiho, on the other hand, just stared at nothing for a second before shaking her head. "...We've been this place, and I've done nothing at all..."

"Ichijou, do you think I'm a burden to you?"

Surprised by her question, Akira instantly shook his head in refusal. "No! You're not a burden to me or anyone!"

"But I did nothing..." Trailing off, Shiho held her hands on her chest while clutching her eyes. "I can't help you fight those things. You always have to warn me and kept me safe..."

Noting that Akira said nothing for a reply, Shiho decided to continue. "Let's go back today. I need time to think..."

"Right..." Nodding, Akira opened the door and led her back to the room they came from.

However, just as they crossed the main hall, a group of shadows suddenly emerged from the ground and surrounded them.

"Shit!" Cursing to himself, Akira instantly kept her behind him and took out his scythe changing into a battle stance. "Stay behind me. I'll get us out of here."

"Moriarty! Revolver Shot!"

Akira tried his best to defeat the group of shadows in front of him, but with the sheer number advantage, Akira was knocked down and pinned to the ground. "Urgh... Goddammit!" Grunting, he tried to struggle but failed.

"Suzui! Just run!"

But Shiho just stood still, shivering as she stared at the group of guards. Inside of her mind, it's all her fault that they're now trapped in this situation. If she didn't tell Akira that she wanted to help him, maybe Kamoshida would be already dealt with...

But now, they're here, trapped and surrounded.

Holding her arms with her other hand, Shiho noticed someone behind the shadows. It was someone with the same uniform as her, the same hairstyle as her, a perfect copy of her. The only difference between them was that her eyes were glowing in gold.

Widening her eyes in fear, Shiho took a step back and murmured, "...What can I do?"

_**"You're just going to stand there and watch?"**_ The doppelganger suddenly said, and it shocked her.

She sounded the exact same as her.

"W-Who are you?"

_**"Who am I?"**_ the copy laughed, suddenly appeared right in front of Shiho. _**"I am the part of you who you've been ignoring."**_

_**"You can call me your shadow, Suzui Shiho."**_ She smirked, turning around to face the scene in front of her. _**"Now, are you just going to stand here and watch? Just like that day when he saved you from Kamoshida?"**_

"I..." Trailing off, Shiho stared and saw Akira being held up by the guards.

_**"Execute him. Then we'll take her to King Kamoshida."** _

_**"You heard that? They're going to kill him,"**_ Shiho's shadow plainly said. _**"You should just run away when I told you to."**_

"So it's you..." Akira murmured, still trying to get himself free from the guard's grip. "You influence Suzui to kill herself!"

_**"I never 'influence' her to do it, I'm just letting her know what she truly felt,"**_ She said, resting her hands in her pockets. _**"In the depth of your heart, you see her as a burden-"**_

"I never see her as a burden or anything!" He interrupted, glaring at the shadow. "Suzui, just run! You're just going to get yourself killed!"

"I..." Clutching her eyes, Shiho took a moment before opening again. "I'm not going anywhere."

"What?!" Exclaiming in shock, Akira finally got himself free before slashing the mask of the guards holding him. "Just go! I'll keep them away from you!"

"I said, I'm not GOING ANYWHERE!" Retorting with the same volume as his, Shiho clutched her hands into fists. "I did nothing when Kamoshida pressured Ann. I did nothing when you saved me... I can't just stand here and run away!"

_**"If you're not running away, then what are you going to do?"**_ The shadow asked, a hint of a smile crept to her face.

"I'm going to fight!"

_**"Good,"**_ She nodded. _**"Then, let's form a contract."**_

_**"I am thou, thou art I..."**_ Trailing off, the shadow was covered with a bright light before disappearing. And a white swan-like mask suddenly appeared on her face.

**_"You've strayed away from your true-self for far too long..."_ **

**_"Now, you're going to show who is really in charge!"_ **

**_"Thou who seek power to fight for those you love, and I shall lend you the strength!"_ **

"A mask..." Widening his eyes in surprise, Akira took a few seconds to process before realized what's happening. "She got one too?"

**_"Together, we can alter everything! Even fate!"_ **

_**"Say my name, and my power is yours!"** _

Taking a deep breath, Shiho gripped the edge of her mask and ripped it off. Blood splattered all over her face, and she screamed in pain. However, it felt like the right thing to do.

She's sick of not able to do anything, and now... she's going to fight!

"Come... LE PUCELLE!"

Blue flame suddenly emerged from the ground and covered her, and a blast of shockwave killed most of the shadows surrounding them. Using his hand to shield himself from the shockwave, Akira saw Shiho stepping out of the flame with a new outfit.

A white dress with a short skirt replaced her Shujin uniform. Her legs were covered with blue stocking-like armor but left her upper thigh exposed between the skirt and the armor. Her lower arms were covered with the same blue armor, but a pair of white gloves covering her hands. Her torso was covered by more armor while she was wearing high heels.

Behind Shiho was her Persona- Le Pucelle, a woman in silver armor and a plain white mask over her face, a white cape blowing with the wind. She was holding a giant sword on her hand and raising a flag with her left hand, and her golden hair was spreading out.

"Well, now we can finally fight side-by-side," Akira smiled, rushing to her side and held up his scythe.

"I'm sick of not able to do anything, running away... but not anymore!" Shiho shouted, pulling the sword from her holster. Swinging down, the blade separated into pieces and turned into a sword whip.

Closing her eyes for a second to recollect herself, Shiho swung the whip up again, and the blade collapsed, returning to its sword form. And she pointed it to the sole guard with golden armor.

"Now, I'm going to fight!"

(To be continued)


	4. Preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before starting, I'm happy to announce that one of the few characters that was new to this version of story would be introduced! 
> 
> And thank you, RosyMiranto18, for introducing them to this fic! :D
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you would like the story so far, comments a much welcomed!

[Kamoshida's castle, the main hall.]

"Now, I'm going to fight!"

Shiho, now in her new outfit, tightened her grip on her whipsword and dashed, slashing one of the shadows in half. Taking this as her opportunity, she touched her mask and summoned Le Pucelle. "Kouha!"

The Persona raised her sword, and light suddenly struck another shadow, killing it instantly.

Grunting in rage, the leader used its sword and impaled itself, revealing a Berith. _**"I'm going to kill you for King Kamoshida's sake!"**_

"King Kamoshida? Stop making me laugh," The volleyball player said coldly, extending her whipsword. "He's just a loser, and that's it."

 _ **"Stop mocking, you brats!"**_ Practically shaking in rage, the shadow threw his spear toward Shiho. Widening his eye slightly, Akira instantly rushed in and knocked the spear aside, pointing his revolver and emptied his clip.

"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Suzui," Smirking, Akira summoned Moriarty and sent a burst of curse energy, hitting it in dead-center. "We're going to take him down together!"

Smiling under her mask, Shiho restored her glare and touched her mask again. "Persona! Cleave!" Summoning her Persona again, the armored woman gripped the sword with both of her hand and slashed, knocking it down.

Rushing forward and pointing it with his revolver, Akira narrowed his eyes at the downed shadow while Shiho pointed her whipsword at it. "We could let you live if you just back away."

_**"I would never betray King Kamoshida!"** _

Dropping his gun for a little, Akira shook his head before pointing the revolver back to the shadow. "Suzui, let's finish this." He said, glancing at Shiho.

Shiho, on the other hand, only nodded slightly before lowering her whipsword and did a backflip. Dropping his revolver again, the two jumped into the air at the same time, using the walls and the ledges as support as they kept striking.

Once the attack ended, Shiho landed with a smooth crouch, swinging her whipsword before impaling it to the ground. **"Blown Like Feathers and be Forgotten."**

Once the shadow was defeated, Shiho tried to took a step forward when she suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Thankfully, Akira was quick enough to catch her, slinging her left arms over his shoulder while holding her wrist to support her.

"You're OK, Suzui?" He asked, concern was written all over his face.

"I'm fine..." She murmured, a faint smile crept to her face. "But... I was finally able to do something to help you..."

"I'm happy for you too," Sighing in relief, Akira straightened himself and proceeded to carry her to the room they're in. "Now, let's get you out of this place-"

_"Is this some kind of filming?! Who's in charge here?!"_

Widening his eyes at the sudden voice rang through the whole floor, the two glanced at each other for a split second. Even though they didn't want to admit it, but that voice... only belong to a specific someone.

"It's Takamaki/Ann!" They exclaimed to each other in unison, and Shiho's face suddenly turned into a horrified one.

"W-why would she be here?" Clutching her eyes to wipe the horrible thought in her head, Shiho stared at him with a determined look. "We need to know what's happening."

"Me too, but..." Trailing off, Akira's eyes drifted toward her legs. Even though it wasn't obvious, but her legs were shaking, both from exhaustion and fear. "Maybe you should go back to the real world first. I'll look after-"

"No!" Exclaiming and interrupting him, Shiho hardened her stare toward Akira. "It's Ann we're talking about. I can't just walk away!"

"But you're not in the best shape of fighting-"

"I'll try my best to assist you, OK?"

Staring at her eyes, Akira struggled on the decision to let her stay or not. "I..."

However, from the determination in her eyes, Akira could only sigh and nodded. He didn't want to let her stay, but her eyes... There's something in there which somehow... made him couldn't say to her. She's not doing a puppy eye, but he just couldn't say 'no' to her.

"...I'll keep you safe."

With that said, Akira fired his grappling hook and pulled themselves to a nearby ledge, releasing her from his support. "...Let's go."

* * *

After a few minutes of walking along the ledges, they finally reached the room and... they weren't expecting this. The room was filled with the cognitive version of the female members of the volleyball team, laying on the floor. They were wearing sports uniforms, but in a very sexualized way.

Shuddering at the moaning and the giggles from them, Akira glanced at Shiho who stay behind. "Suzui..."

Shiho didn't answer him, just stared at the cognitive members with a rage-filled gaze. "So this is how Kamoshida views us..." She murmured, clutching her hand into a tight fist.

Deciding to ignore the cognition around him, Akira continued his walk until they reached where Ann was held in. "There's she- Wait!" Noticing the three individuals in front of them, he hastily grabbed Shiho's wrist and grappled themselves to the ledges above.

Ann was tied into an X-shaped cross with her arms and legs cuffed with metal, a few guards standing beside her with their sword drawn. On the other side, Ren, Ryuji, and Morgana were blocked by the more guard's sword, unable to do anything.

However, the thing that caught his attention was that he and Ryuji were wearing their 'uniform'. Ren was wearing a black ankle-length tailcoat over his waistcoat, black pants, brown-black winkle pickers and a pair of red gloves, and a black and white, birdlike domino mask over his face.

Ryuji, on the other hand, was wearing a black jacket and pants with knee pads with a red ascot, combat boots, and a pair of yellow gloves over his hands. Judging from the black skull mask over his face, he had also awakened his Persona as well.

Then, there's... 'the mascot-like being' next to them.

"Let me go!" Ann yelled, struggling with the restraint over her arms and legs. "Kamoshida, you fucker!"

"We need to help her right now!" Shiho whispered in urgency, gripping her whipsword and readied to jump down at any moment.

However, Akira stopped her with her hands, narrowing his eyes at the three Persona users below. "No, wait," He said, pointing at the guards surrounding her. "We can't just hop in and save Ann, look at the guards."

Knowing that she couldn't do anything, Shiho could only bite her lips and held herself back. "Darn it..."

It's the worst option, but the only one in this situation.

However, Kamoshida's shadow suddenly walked into the room and grinned wickedly toward Ann. "You've got to be kidding me..." Shiho murmured, widening her eyes at him.

And to make the matter worse, a perfect copy of Ann appeared and clung to Kamoshida. Instead of a Shujin outfit, her doppelganger was wearing a purple bikini, which left very little to the imagination.

"It wasn't Takamaki's 'shadow'..." Akira murmured to himself, staring at the doppelganger with confusion. "What the hell is that...?"

 ** _"It's no use to resist, Takamaki,"_** The king smirked, nodding to the guards next to him. **_"As your punishment, let's pay your intrusion with your life."_**

"NO!" Widening her eyes in horror, Ann struggled to break free from the cuffs, but it was useless. "Don't!"

Ryuji, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and turned to Ren. "Joker, can't we do anything to help her?"

"I... I don't know..." Ren muttered, tightening his fists.

"We can't just stay here and watch her..." Trailing off, Ryuji slowly, but unwillingly realized the dire situation they're in. "God fucking dammit!"

"I can't just let her die like this!" Gritting her teeth in anger, Shiho stared at Akira for a way. "Ichijou! Are we just gonna stay here and watch!"

"I'm thinking of a way now!" Clutching his eyes, Akira pulled out his grappling hook and aimed. "Please don't miss..."

He was aiming for the sword of the guard.

"Is this...my punishment?" Ann murmured as she closed her eyes, tears slowly leaked from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Shiho..."

The armored soldier stopped right in front of her, raising his sword and readied to strike. However, it didn't come.

Before it could do anything, Akira fired his grappling hook and attached the blade. Pulling with all his strength, Akira gritted his teeth and planted his foot to the wall nearby. Widening her eyes in surprise, Shiho instantly grabbed his hands and pulled as well.

Thankfully, the wire was too thin for Ann and the others to spot, and they only saw the guard's hand shivering for some reason. _**"Guard, just execute her,"**_ Kamoshida asked, growing impatient as time passed. _**"What's wrong with you?"**_

"What's goin' on?" Ryuji questioned.

"Joker, it's our opportunity!" Morgana suggested, gripping his Bandit sword. "They're distracted!"

"Yeah," Pulling out his pistol, Ren was about to fire when the voice of Shiho suddenly rang through the whole room, startling everyone.

"ANN! DON'T GIVE UP!"

Even though he's surprised, but Ren didn't overthink about the sudden appearances of her voice. Instead, he took a step forward and shouted. "Takamaki! Are you just going to give in?!"

"Huh?" lifting her head, Ann looked at them in surprise. And she saw two silhouettes on the ledges above, and a tiny hook attached to the sword. "...Shiho?"

"Takamaki! He's the one who tries to ruin Suzui and your life!" Skull added, clenching his hand to a fist, "Are you goin' to let this motherfucker get away with it!"

Biting her lips, Ann closed her eyes for a second before staring at Kamoshida's shadow with a determined and rage-filled gaze. "You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me..."

"What was I thinking...?!"

Kaomshida just gritted his teeth in response. "It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-"

"Shut up!" Ann interrupted, the cuffs around her started to crack as she regained her strength, physically and mentally. "I've had enough of this... You pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"

**_"My...it's taken far too long."_ **

Before she could realize, a voice similar to her suddenly rang inside her head, accompanied by immense pain. She felt like her head was going to explode, but the voice only continued as she struggled.

**_"Tell me... who is going to avenge them if you don't?"_ **

**_"Forgiving him was never the option... Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within..."_ **

Ann clenched her eyes, letting out little gasps of pain as the voice continues to speak. She tensed and thrust her body in the air before slumping down.

_**"I am thou, thou art I... We can finally forge a contract..."** _

Head down and exhausted, she whispered. "I hear you... Carmen."

She lifted her head back up, and a crimson feline mask appeared on her face, covering the entire upper half of her head, "You're right. No more holding back!"

Kasmoshida gasped at the sight of the mask, taking a step behind with the cognitive Ann, both terrified. "You too?!"

Meanwhile, Shiho and Akira only stared at sight with the biggest smile ever. "She's awakening..." Akira murmured.

"Just like me..." Shiho trailed off, touching the edge of her mask.

_**"There you go... Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself."** _

With the new sense of power filling her, Ann broke through her bind. Taking her right hand, she clenched her mask.

**_"Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."_ **

With a scream, she ripped off her mask with a splatter of blood on her face, a wave of harsh wind whipped outward. And Ann was covered in blue flame.

With the flame depleted, Ann now wore a tight red leather catsuit with zippers all around. It left open a large window on her cleavage, showing her skin and the top of her breasts. A panther-like tail was attached to her back. A pair of pink leather gloves now covered her hands, and another pair of darker red boots encircled her upper thighs.

Noting the sword in front of her, Ann dashed forward and kicked the sword into the air. Jumping up and grabbed it by the handle, she swung down at her copy, with a loud cry.

The copy screamed as Ann slashed her right in the middle, dissipating into nothing.

Kamoshida stared at the now transformed Ann with fear and frantically took a few steps back. Taking this as their opportunity, the trio quickly rushed to her side as she stared back at Kamoshdia.

"You know what?" Ann narrowed her eyes at him, the sword in her hand morphed into a crimson leather whip. "I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with, you scumbag!"

"You shattered everyone's future, especially Shiho!" She yelled. "I'll rob you of everything!"

 _ **"How dare you!"** _A lieutenant shouted and absorbed other soldiers, convulsed into black goo, revealing a horrid looking demon with large horns and a beard, sitting on a toilet.

"No! I've had enough of you!" She retorted, clenching the handle of the whip, "NO one's gonna stop me now!"

"Let's go, Carmen!"

The battle between the demon between the four Persona-users was quick, and the tide was clearly favoring their side. Knowing that Ann's going to be OK, Akira turned to Shiho with a soft smile.

"I think she's going to be fine," He said. "I think we should leave by now."

"Leave?" Tilting her head in slight confusion, Shiho's eyes darted between him and the fight below. "But they're still fighting..."

"It looks like they don't need any help," Akira shook his head, glancing at her tired feature. "And it seems like your body has already reached its limit."

Even though she tried to argue, but the aching from her legs and arms said otherwise. Almost collapsing, Shiho sighed and nodded. "You're right... Let's go."

With that said, the two decided to leave the palace.

* * *

[Shibuya, Big Bang Burger]

Once the two arrived back in the real world, they decided to go to the Big Bang Burger for something to eat first.

"Now I feel a little bit better," Shiho smiled, taking a sip of her soda. "...First thing first, I want to thank you, Ichijou."

"Hmm?" Akira tilted his head in confusion, leaning back to his seat. "For what? I didn't do anything worthy enough for a thank you."

"No, you helped me to find myself finally," She deadpanned, stirring the soda with her straw. "Awakening my Persona... It all felt so surreal."

"It felt the same for me," He admitted, furrowing his brow at the memories of those images. "But... now we both have awakened our Persona. I think I'm not allowed to leave you alone."

"And I'm just going to enter that castle on my own if you refused," Shiho suddenly said with a surprisingly scary voice, making the atmosphere extremely chilling.

"O-OK, I'm not going to leave you alone," Sweatdropping, Akira decided to change the topic to something else, fast. "But I think we can't just go into that castle like this. We need medicine for an emergency, and some upgrade of weapons..."

"Remember that clinic in Jongen-Jaya?" Shiho suggested, wholly changed from back to her usual self. "Maybe we can buy some medicine from Dr. Takemi."

"You're right, it's a possibility," Nodding, Akira remembered something and turned around to glance at the alleyway outside of the glass window. "And I think there's a shop which sells model guns and such."

"Model guns?"

"That whole castle is how Kamoshida sees Shujin, and he never seems to aware of that place," He explained, turning back to face her. "What if that place is related to cognition? If so, maybe when we pull something that made those guards believe it's real, that thing will become real."

"Actually... I don't really understand," Shiho said, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "Cognition isn't my thing..."

"It's fine. I only studied it for a novel I was planned to write before..." Akira trailed off, closing his eyes to hold his emotion from flooding out. "Anyway, I'll handle the equipment, don't worry about it."

Nodding, the volleyball player took out her wallet and pulled out a few thousand yen. "Here, I don't want you to bear the cost on your own."

"It's OK, I still have enough allowance left," He declined with a gentle shake of his head. "Mitsuru gave me about two hundred thousand yens each month, and I never used more than one-fourth of it."

"two hundred thousand?!" Yelping in surprise, Shiho retracted her hands and blinked. "Being the cousin of Kirijo Mitsuru really did have its perk..."

"In some way, yes," Akira shrugged, checking the time with his phone. "I think the rush hour should be over by now. We should go home."

"Right," Nodding, the two stood up from their seat and walked over to the exit.

However, just before they entered the Shibuya station, Shiho stopped in mid-track and faced Akira.

"Hmm?" Tilting his head, Akira readjusted his shoulder bag for the third time. "What's the matter, Suzui?"

"I think we should not just call each other by our surname," She suggested with a shy smile, holding her hands behind. "Y-you agree?"

Surprised, Akira couldn't help himself but blush. "W-well... if you say so."

Widening her smile, Shiho took a few steps forward and held out her hand. "Well then, nice to meet you again, Akira."

"Nice to meet you again, Shi-Shiho." He shuttered, taking her hand into a handshake. However, he almost lost himself to her.

Even though with all those abuse and training, her hand was surprisingly smooth and very warm. For a second, Akira almost hoped that this moment could last forever. But he quickly stopped himself, and this thought banished by the time it surfaced in his mind.

Releasing each other from the handshake, he quickly blinked for a few seconds. 'What the hell are you thinking, Ichijou Akira!' He thought.

"Um... I guess we should exchange our contact information too, in case if I can't go back to school..." Shiho said, pulling out her phone.

"O-oh, right," Hastily nodding, Akira also pulled out his phone, and they exchanged their contact information.

Once the two exchanged their contact, they waved goodbye and went on their way back home. Stepping into the train station, Akira found Ren, Ryuji, and Ann on the side of the platform. Raising an eye in suspicion, he decided to hide away and eavesdropped them.

 _"...So basically, that castl-'palace' has a treasure in its heart, and if we steal the treasure, Kamoshida will have a change of heart?"_ Ann asked, crossing her arms as she pondered.

Ren nodded. _"Pretty much."_

"So that place is called a 'palace'..." Akira murmured to himself, pulling out his phone to take down any important point. "And if we stole the treasure inside, Kamoshda would have a change of heart..."

And then, the thing he expected the least happened. He heard the cat in Ren's school bag talked.

The cat TALKED.

 _"The corrupted part of his heart will be gone, but the sin he committed will remain,"_ The cat said, and its voice was the same as that 'mascot-looking thingy'. _"Since he's not able to bear the weight of those sins, he would admit those sin himself."_

"He will admit those sins himself..."

 _"I guess so..."_ The blonde girl awkwardly laughed, still confused by the whole deal with 'Metaverse' stuff. _"But it's too complicated for me..."_

 _"I was the same as you when Morgana told us about this,"_ Ren shrugged, looking at the passing train. _"But you'll get used to it."_

By the time he said that, Ryuji ran passed Akira and entered the conversation. "Hey guys, I'm back with some drinks for ya."

Then he shifted his glance to Ann, holding the two drinks in his hands out toward her. _"Which one do you want?"_

Ann's eyes darted between the two drinks for a few seconds before answering, _"Whichever's not carbonated."_

_"uh... they're both actually."_

Sighing, The blonde girl took the one in his left hand, _"I'll go with that."_

Ryuji nodded and handed the other one to Ren, _"Here ya go, Renren."_

 _"I told you, please don't call me that."_ Ren deadpanned, taking the drink from his hand and took a sip.

 _"What about me?"_ The cat, which probably was the 'mascot-looking thingy', which they called 'Morgana' said.

"Huh?" Tilting his head in confusion, Ryuji only gave it a 'are you kidding me' look. "But you're a cat."

If it were a usual case, this would instantly spiral into a spat-match between the two. Thankfully, Ann's giggle saved Ryuji from this fate.

_"...have you calmed down, Lady Ann."_

Nodding, Ann only looked at the cat with an uncertain glance. _"Um... Morgana, right?"_

_"I really am talking to a cat... This feels so strange..."_

Seeing that they're probably just going to have some more talks without any useful information, Akira decided to end his overhearing and went to the train.

The train ride was uneventful, just as he expected. However, with what happened today, Akira could help but look at his hand. For years, he had finally saved someone he cared about. And now, he's going to keep everyone from Kamoshida.

"I'm... No, we're going to save them, that's for sure."

* * *

[16th April]

Unfortunately, Shiho didn't come to school today. She texted him that she's going to take a break from school. Even though he expected it, but Akira couldn't help but felt a bit lonely, especially when she was his only friend by this point.

It felt weird to him, when he's been used to being alone after everything happened last year. But he had a mission to do today, to buy some medicine from Dr. Takemi's clinic. If he's memories didn't serve him wrong, it's called 'Takemi Medical Clinic'.

Yes, it was really blended for a name, but it did serve the purpose, and that's enough.

Writing down the shopping list in his old notebook, Akira almost missed that Ren and Ann were texting in front of him. And Morgana, who now stayed in Ren's drawer, was staring at him.

"He felt weird..." The feline murmured.

[Groupchat]

**Ryuji: Hey, we're meetin' up at the hideout after school, right?**

**Ann: Don't text now. We're in class.**

**Ryuji: Whoa! You mean you're actually listenin' to all this crap?**

**Ren: Yep, but I just can't focus on what he is saying...**

**Ann: Yeah, but nothing of it is really sticking today...**

**Ryuji: I know, right?**

**Ryuji: Anyway, hideout after school?**

**Ann: Where exactly is this 'hideout'?**

**Ryuji: the school roof.**

**Ann: Wait, we can still go up there?**

**Ryuji: Yeah, I'll let you in**

**Ryuji: Welp, I'll be waitin'. Just come on up once school's over.**

**Ren: Gotcha.**

**Ryuji: I'm gonna find you if you're late!**

Shaking his head, Ren was about to return to class when Mr. Ushimaru's yelling caught him by surprise. "Amamiya!"

"Hey! Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you!" Mr. Ushimaru continued his wraith to Ren, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Then out of a sudden, the furious teacher suddenly threw his chalk toward Ren, straight in his forehead. Even Akira was surprised and scrambled the shopping list into his drawer, internally hoping that he's not going to be the next target.

"That's what you get for daydreaming!" Mr. Ushimaru shouted in anger, somehow even louder than before, "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."

"good grief... Looks like you need more proficiency to dodge that." Morgana looked up at Ren for a brief moment before shaking his head in disappointment, earning an annoyed look from him.

"yeah... I know."

[Afterschool, Yongen-Jaya]

Once the school was ended, Akira instantly ran straight to the train and went to Jongen-Jaya. after a few more minutes of walking. He arrived at Takemi Medical Clinic. However, Dr. Takemi wasn't at the receptionist table she should be at.

Raising an eye in confusion, he decided to sit down to the chair nearby and waited. Meanwhile, he put on his headphones and played something to kill time.

Thankfully, it only took him a few minutes before the examination room's door opened, revealing Ren.

Now that's something he didn't expect.

Widening his eyes in surprise, Akira put down his headphones and paused the song. "Amamiya? Why would you be here?"

"I'm just going to buy some medicine, for my exam," Ren answered calmly, pushing his glasses. "Anyway, I should get going by now."

With that said, Ren exited the clinic. Sighing, Akira knocked on the door and opened the door. "Um... excuse me, Dr. Takemi?"

"Who is it?" Takemi returned with an annoyance-filled glance, but it quickly softened as she noticed it was Akira. "Oh, it's you. What's the matter this time?"

"I-I'm just wondering if I could buy some medicine," He explained, entering the room. "I'm not talking about those rumors around you, just... I recovered so fast last time I was here... maybe there's some medicine to help me recover my strength?"

"..." Narrowing her eyes, Takemi's eyes scanned his whole body before gesturing him to sit down. "You're surprisingly honest with your intention, that's a plus."

"O...K..."

"Well, I'm not doing a charity, and the ingredients aren't cheap," She said, writing something on her noticeboard. "You get that?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well then..." Trailing off, a faint smirk crept to her face. "After all, two test subjects for my medicine would be beneficial."

"So, you can buy my medicine," Takemi said, putting down her board and pens. "But in exchange, you need to help me to test my medicine, got it?"

"Of course, if those medicines can help millions, I'm all for it."

"Well, it's not technically millions, but many people," Smiling, she held out a hand to him. "Then a deal was made."

Nodding, Akira held her hand, and they shook their hands. "I'm happy to cooperate with you, my little Trial Rabbit."

"Trial Rabbit...?" Awkwardly smiling, Akira couldn't help but shiver. "Can't you have something else like... guinea pig?"

"The guy before you took that name already, so you're just going to cope with it," Takemi shrugged, but her face quickly changed into a serious look. "In all seriousness though, I have someone if you need someone to talk with."

"Huh?"

She took out a name card and gave it to him. "His name is Maruki Takuto, he was... an old friend of mine, and I think he's a counselor."

"OK... Thank you, Dr. Takemi," Surprised at her action of help, Akira took the name card and smiled at her. "Anyway, about my medicine..."

"Oh right," Widening her eyes for a second, Takemi quickly gave him a list of medicines. "Take your time, and ask me if needed."

* * *

[17th April, Shibuya's main street]

The sun shines bright in the sky, creating a few droplets of sweat as Akira arrived at the store. 'Why would I wear a hoodie here...' He thought as he took a look at the signs.

"Untouchable..." Shrugging, Akira entered the store and noticed two people in the shop. The first one was a middle-aged man with gray hair, faint stubble, sideburns, and earrings, which he assumed was the owner of the store.

However, the second one was a girl a few years older than him. She had neck length black hair, part of it being tied up in a small bun with two chopsticks. Also, a thin white ribbon was visible in her hair, and had cerulean frost eyes lined with eyeliner with a beauty mark at the corner of her eyes.

She was wearing a white shoulder-length-sleeved v-neck jumper with some blue embroidery around the collar, a knee-length skinny blue short with knee-length white stockings accompanied by blue and white boots.

Raising an eye in curiosity, Akira quickly snapped himself out of it and walked over to the counter. "Excuse me, I want to look for something," He asked politely.

"You lookin' for recommendations?" The owner asked, his tone was clearly not friendly at all. "Whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?"

"Actually, I want a semi-automatic sniper rifle, a SCAR-L with a two-time scope should do the job," Akira answered, rubbing his chin as he thought of anything he remembered. "Also, I want a revolver too, a magnum revolver, to be exact. A .44 Smith and Wesson... maybe?"

Widening his eyes slightly, the owner put down his newspaper and smirked slightly. "Well well well, we got a professor here."

"Luckily, I just restocked last week, so I have the guns you're asking for," He said, taking two boxes of model guns from the storage room behind the counter. "A SCAR-L with adjustable zoom magnification, and a Smith and Wesson .44 revolver."

Smiling brightly, Akira took out his wallet and took out about seven thousand yens. "So uh... how much are they?"

"It'll be 5000 yens," The owner replied, taking out the 'cigarette' in his mouth, which revealed to be a lollipop. "So... how did you know about guns? I'm just curious."

"I researched a lot about guns for a novel I wrote a year ago," Akira explained, holding the two boxes in the plastic bags. "I'm that kind of writer who spent too much time making sure every detail is right, I guess..."

The owner shrugged, but the other girl came back with a... musket?

"How much is it, boss?" She asked, putting the musket on the counter.

"It's 16900 yen," The owner replied, narrowing his eye at the musket.

Akira, on the other hand, raised an eye at the girl's choice of firearm. "A musket, Huh? Are you some kind of collector or something?" He muttered out loud, just enough for the girl to hear him.

However, the girl gave him a death glare in return, "It's none of your business."

Taking the charges from the owner, she gave Akira another heath glare before exiting the shop. "Typical Aobara for ya, kid," The owner said, pulling the newspaper over his lower face.

"Aobara?"

"She's Aobara Aoi, one of my few regular customers." He explained, shrugging. "But other than that, I can't say anything about it."

"OK..." Trailing off, Akira glanced at the door of the shop. "Well... It's not like I'm going to meet her again or anything."

With that said, he exited the store and went back to the main street. However, just as he was about to go back to the train station, he noticed Ren was talking with Ryuji next to the green train nearby.

Why would they be here? They're probably coming to Shibuya for the same reason as him.

But now, with all preparation done, it's time for them to infiltrate Kamoshida's palace.

And he's going down.


	5. The Past and The Present

[Afternoon, Akira's apartment]

After his little trip to Untouchable, Akira went back to his apartment and put the two guns on the table. Pulling out his phone, he took a picture of the sniper rifle and sent it to Shiho.

**Akira: So, I get you a sniper rifle, what do you think?**

**Shiho: I told you I'm fine with anything, right?**

**Akira: Yeah, you told me this last night.**

**Shiho: Also, I can't really give you anything with just a picture.**

**Shiho: And when are we going to that castle?**

**Akira: Since I got all these things readied... maybe tomorrow?**

**Shiho: Tomorrow? I hope mom would let me back to school to join you.**

**Akira: Oh, right. Speaking of school, when are you coming back?**

**Shiho: Mom got me a break until the 2nd of May.**

**Akira: OK, that's better.**

**Shiho: Hey, Akira. Can you promise me something?**

**Akira: What?**

**Shiho: Please look after Ann for me.**

**Akira: 100% got it, don't worry about her.**

**Akira: I won't let Kamoshida's hand to anyone.**

**Shiho: Thank you.**

With that sent, Akira opened the box and examined the revolver and the rifle, testing the sights and the scope for a while before putting them into a less suspicious-looking bag.

"Well, let's hope no one would be curious about them," Sighing, Akira looked over to the clock in his house. "It's just 5 pm... and I don't have anything to do..."

Shrugging, he took out his laptop and placed it on the kitchen counter. Searching a video about how to cook some Omelet. Even though he mostly ate his meals at Leblanc, he would like to cook himself.

But why?

Asking the same question to himself, Akira was about to continue his cooking when a girl's voice suddenly rang behind him. _"Hey, Akira! You lost the bet, so you're cooking!"_

Turning around, Akira deadpanned at the source of the voice. It was a young girl in Shujin uniform who was around his age with shoulder-length chocolate-colored hair, and a pair of hazel eyes. _"Kimiko, you know I'll just create another mess if I'm cooking again."_

 _"Well, you'll never know if you don't try,_ _"_ Another voice suddenly rang next to him, but it's a boy's voice. _"C'mon Akira, don't give up. Take this as advice from the vice president."_ Glancing to the source next to him, it was a boy in Shujin uniform with crimson hair and dark eyes.

Akira only frowned at the boy next to him in response. _"Shut up, Shinji. You're only one point ahead of me in that tycoon game. By the way, what kind of a vice student council president are you?"_

_"The good kind. Jealous that I'm close with Makoto?"_

_"Fuck you, man."_

_"Just accept you're lost, Akira,"_ Kimiko smiled, playfully shaking his shoulder. _"It's not Shinji's fault that you lost."_

He deadpanned again, _"...Fine, I'll try."_

"...Right... because of her..." Staring at the empty house behind him, Akira quickly shook his head to snap out of those memories. "However, it's all in the past now..."

 _ **"And you'll avenge Kimiko,"**_ Suddenly, the voice of Moriarty rang inside of him, and he materialized right in front of him, crossing his arms. _**"It's no use to be somber about her death, or the memories."**_

"I know, Moriarty..." Trailing off, Akira turned back to the stove in front of him. "But it's not as easy as it sounds like."

* * *

[Evening, the Attic of Leblanc.]

After a whole day of buying and preparing for their infiltration to Kamoshida's palace, Ren finally returned to the cozy atmosphere of Leblanc. However, just as he walked up to the stairs and placed his shoulder bag, his phone suddenly buzzed.

"Hmm?" Raising an eye, he took out his phone and found that it's the group chat.

**Ann: Guys, I have something that I wanted to talk about.**

**Ren: What is it?**

**Ryuji: Yeah, somethin' about Suzui?**

**Ann: You're partially right, Ryuji.**

**Ann: Well, remember when I awakened Carmen?**

**Ryuji: Of effin' course! How could I forget about it?**

**Ren: Ryuji, you can just reply with a 'yes'.**

**Ryuji: Shaddup, Renren.**

**Ren: I told you to not call me by this name.**

**Ann: Guys! Just stop with your stupid argument!**

**Ren: Right.**

**Ryuji: Urgh... Fine.**

**Ann: OK, so when that... shadow was about to kill me, Shiho's voice suddenly came from nowhere.**

**Ann: Did you guys heard her too?**

**Ren: Yeah, but I just left it as Suzui's cognitive form encouraging you or something along those lines.**

**Ryuji: I heard that too, that's really weird... you know.**

**Ann: I called Shiho after that, she told me that she went home right after school...**

**Ren: I sensed a 'but' here.**

**Ann: But her tone was so weird, it sounded like she has something to hide.**

**Ryuji: Huh? You mean Suzui was in the palace?!**

**Ann: It's just speculation, but we're going to the palace tomorrow, right?**

**Ren: Of course. And we're going to find out who's that voice belongs to.**

Nodding, Ren put his phone to sleep mode and put it on the table nearby. "Ren, what's on your mind?" Morgana asked, curling up beside his shoulder bag.

"I don't know... but I don't think we're alone in the palace."

* * *

[?, the Velvet Room]

waking up by the singing, Akira blinked a few times before sighing. He's back in the Velvet Room, which he started to familiarize with. Akira stood up from the chair he was sitting, smiling at the sight of Elizabeth.

"Excellent job on saving Miss Suzui, Akira," The woman in blue smiled, taking a sip of her cup of lemon drink. "It seems like you started to discover what you can do."

"Yeah, and now I'm going to take Kamoshida out of Shujin," Akira nodded, leaning on the bar table. "But Elizabeth, why did you call me here?"

"It's because I want to give you this," Elizabeth said, taking out a key from nowhere and gave it to him. "This is the key to the Velvet Room, and you visit this place on your own will."

Raising an eye in curiosity, Akira took the key from her and examined it. If not for the mask-like shape engraved onto the top part, it didn't have any difference to a normal key. "Thank you," He nodded again, pocketing the key.

"You don't need to thank me, it's my responsibility," She giggled, placing the compendium on the table. "Also, it's more a personal request."

"It's been... a while since the last time I come into your world," Elizabeth said. "If you're willing to, I would like to explore the world. I want to see what has changed over the years."

"You've... been to the real world?"

"Yes," She nodded. "However, I was accompanied by my former guest... I think you can accompany me and teach me what had changed."

Akira pondered fora second, and he nodded with a faint smile. "I guess there's no harm to accompany you."

"Thank you," With that said, the sound of an alarm clock suddenly filled the whole club, signaling the arrival of another day. "Well, I guess our little meeting is coming to an end."

Before Akira could say another word, the whole club was filled with white light again. And the sound of the song he set as alarm filled his ear.

* * *

[18th April, Morning]

After his breakfast on Leblanc, Akira went on his daily routine of going to the school while listening to music. After texting with Shiho to remind her of the infiltration, he stopped at mid-track at the sight of Kamoshida.

"What the hell is he doing here..." Akira murmured, putting down his headphone to his neck.

Nodding, the two decided to continue their walk as usual. Unfortunately, it seems like Kamoshida's wasn't going to let them go away this easily. "Good morning," He said monotonically, resting his arms on his hips. "Ichijou."

Clutching his hand into a fist, Akira didn't say anything in response. 'It's not worth it to snap at him right here, he's taunting you.' He repeated in his mind. Even though after all this time and event, he still looked at him as if he's invincible.

However, remembering that he's going to make this trash of a human being suffer from what he had done, and Shiho's still safe and sound. Akira couldn't help but smirk faintly, just visible enough for him to notice.

"What are you smirking for?" Kamoshida asked irritatedly, furrowing his brow. "This time, Kirijo ain't going to keep you safe."

"It's nothing," Akira shook his head, his smirk widened. "I just thought of something funny."

Before the PE teacher could say a word, Akira continued his walk to the school. Just a bit longer, then he could make Kamoshida pay for what he had done.

Once he was in the classroom, Kawakami suddenly asked Ren to have a talk. Yes, he was curious about why he was called, but it didn't matter right now.

* * *

Even though got singled out by teacher would be a horrifying thing, but for some reason... Ren couldn't feel any horror or anything from Kawakami. Why was it though? Maybe it's because he felt sorry for her, for being a hassle for her.

Stopping right next to the guidance office, Kawakami turned around with a serious expression. "There's something I'd like to ask you. It won't take long."

"It's fine, Ms. Kawakami," Ren shook his with a smile in response, trying to brighten up her mood.

However, just as Kawakami was about to continue on, the door opened and revealed Kamoshida and the crimson-haired girl. 'It was her...' Widening his eyes at the sight of her with Kamoshida, Ren quickly recomposed himself.

"I see you're already getting on top of the problem I'd mentioned this morning, Ms. Kawakami!" Kamoshida said, a fake-as-fuck grin basically stapled on his face. "I appreciate the support."

The crimson-haired girl nodded with a much sincerer smile. "Thank you again."

Turning his focus from Ren to her, Kamoshida changed his expression to something else, but still fake-as-fuck. "Oh, you know this guy, Yoshizawa?"

Yoshizawa nodded again. "Yes, he lent me a helping hand earlier."

The PE teacher's face quickly turned into a frown. "I recommend you steer clear of the likes of him if you have any consideration for your future." He said. "Remember the discussion we just had? There are a number of students in this school you shouldn't get involved with..."

Ren only gritted his teeth silently, putting on his best poker face as possible. 'Well, she should steer away from YOU.' He thought.

"This one is on the top of the list."

Widening her eyes in surprise, Yoshizawa's eyes darted between Kamoshida and Ren for a second. "Oh, the delinquent transfer student...?"

Sighing in annoyance, Kawakami decided to interrupt them. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use the guidance office."

Kamoshida smiled again, "We should be going by now- don't want to get in the way of guiding this delinquent and all."

With that said, he walked away with a shit-eating smirk on his face. "Please, excuse us," Yoshizawa bowed lightly, following Kamoshida's lead.

However, just as she was about to take a step, Ren suddenly warned her, startling her and Kawakami. "Consider this as a bit of warning... Be careful around Kamoshida."

Raising an eye in confusion, Yoshizawa nodded before walking away. Kawakami, on the other hand, wasn't impressed with his sudden action. "After you." She sighed.

Entering the guidance office, Ren sat down on one end while Kawakami sat on the other one. Taking another long and heavy sigh, Kawakami crossed her arms, "I'm going to get straight to the point: did something happen between you and Mr. Kamoshida?"

"Considering what you just said to Yoshizawa..."

Twisting a few strands of his hair, Ren sighed in response. "It's nothing..."

"Nothing serious..." The homeroom teacher narrowed her eyes in suspicion, leaning back into her seat. "Well, he just gave me a brief lecture this morning, and your name came up."

"Huh, how shocking," Ren muttered sarcastically, pushing his glasses.

"He said something about the danger of a lack of supervision..." She sighed again, shaking her head. "I don't mean to pry, but... just make sure you don't go causing trouble, okay?"

"I'm not going to cause anything, Ms. Kawakami," The delinquent nodded, a hint of a smile crept to her face. "I know I've been a hassle since I got into this school, with my record got leaked and such..."

Kawakami nodded. "Oh, and one more thing. That girl outside the office- you didn't make a pass at her, did you?"

"Well..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's kinda cute, but that's pretty much it."

"Uh-Huh," The classroom teacher deadpanned, but she quickly changed into her usual tired and unimpressed look. "Mr. Kamoshida has a real close eye on you... Apparently, you've been getting into involved with Sakamoto-Kun."

"You seem acquainted with Yoshizawa-San as well." She continued. "...Maybe you're just naturally drawn to athletes?"

"...Somewhat, maybe it's just fate guiding me to a path of sport," Ren shrugged with a faint smirk, earning a small giggle from Kawakami.

"Sorry, bad joke."

"It's fine, Ms. Kawakami," He smiled. "Everyone needs some laugh these days."

"Well, you're much different than I thought when we first met," Kawakami returned with a much fainter smile. "That's all I wanted to discuss. You're free to go."

[During class]

The class was still as boring as ever, and Akira just decided to keep staring at the window outside. Interestingly, the cherry blossom was very beautiful, and he almost forgot about it. Well... living in a life like this, it's really hard to have some quiet time like this.

However, with the sudden buzzing from his phone, his silent observation on the cherry blossom was cut short. Pulling out his phone, he found that it was Shiho.

**Shiho: Hey, Akira.**

**Akira: Yeah?**

**Shiho: Ain't it weird for me to come to school just to meet up with you?**

Akira widened his eyes at the message. Shiho was right, why didn't he think about this? Shiho should be on a week break from school right now, if she just came to school and met up with him... He wouldn't dare to imagine the rumors tomorrow.

However, he couldn't think of a better way to meet up. Sighing, he typed his reply.

**Akira: You're right, but I don't think there's any other way right now.**

**Shiho: It's OK, I'm just worried if the rumor would be worse for you...**

**Akira: Well, at least I still have you. :)**

**Shiho: You're the only one left for me too.**

**Shiho: I mean other than Ann.**

With that said, Akira put his phone back into his pocket and returned his stare to the cherry blossoms.

[Afterschool, front gate.]

Once the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Akira wasted no time and rushed out of the classroom. However, he was stopped when Kamoshida suddenly showed up, holding a disgusting smirk on his face.

"Where are you going, Ichijou?" He said. "Taking the time to find a new school?"

"I have no time for this, OK?" Akira muttered, glaring at the teacher with hatred. "Get out of my way."

Turning his smirk into a fake smile, Kamoshida took a step aside for him. Without another word, Akira continued his dash toward the front gate.

Thankfully, it didn't take Akira a second to find where Shiho was. She was leaning at a wall opposite to the front gate, wearing her Shujin uniform. Slapping his face to clear all the down look, he quickly walked up to her with a smile.

"Am I late?"

Shifting her glance from her phone to him, Shiho shook her head and returned the smile. "No, I just arrived a few minutes ago."

"Well, let's not waste any more time," Seeing a nod from her, Akira took out his phone and opened the Metanav. "Let's do this."

**_"Kamoshida... Shujin Academy... Castle..."_ **

**_"Beginning navigation."_ **

* * *

[Kamoshida's palace, entrance]

After the weird feeling of nausea and dizziness, the pair found themselves standing in front of the castle. Noting that they're wearing the outfit again, Akira took out the sniper rifle he bought and gave it to Shiho.

"Here, your rifle."

Taking the rifle from his hand, Shiho changed into a shooting posture and tested out the scope for a second. "Thank you, Akira," She said, and the model gun disappeared as she holstered it on her back.

"Oh, by the way," Akira suddenly said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think calling each other 'Akira' and 'Shiho' would be suitable here."

"So...?" Shiho asked, raising en eye in confusion.

"I think we should have codename in this place," He suggested, "After all, we're basically a Phantom Thief... or something along those lines."

"A codename... Huh?" The volleyball player pondered for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Well, any idea for your codename? I can help you with that."

Akira pondered for a moment, blinking as the memories of something suddenly surfaced in his mind. Before he could realize, he was in his apartment, and Kimiko was sitting next to him.

 _"Hey Akira, do you know what's the name of an entertainer during the medieval and Renaissance?"_ Kimiko asked with a wide grin, holding up her history textbook.

 _"Hmm?"_ Poking his head up from the notes, Akira raised an eye at her. _"That's court Jester, right?"_

 _"Th~~at's correct!"_ She declared cheerfully, clapping as a huge smile crept to her face. _" 10 points for Akira-Chan!"_

 _"Huh?"_ Akira sweatdropped, taking a sip of his red tea. _"What's that for?"_

 _"I'm just bored with all these studying..."_ Kimiko pouted, pinching his cheeks with both hands. _" And you're fun to play with~"_

 _"C-c'mon, I'm not some toy,"_ Akira resisted, but ultimately failed and he just let her continue. _" But the exam is next week, we have to prepare for-"_

"Akira?" Suddenly, Shiho patted his head with a concerned face. "You're OK? You zoned out for a bit."

Blinking in slight confusion, it took him a second to realize that he drowned himself into the memories again. "O-oh, It's just... memories." Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Akira shifted his top hat. "I think I'll be called 'Jester'."

"'Jester'... That sounds great," Shiho shrugged with a hint of a smile. "As for mine... any idea?"

"I have one," Shiho said, smiling under her mask. "And judging from your face, we're thinking of the same thing, right?"

Barely able to keep his smirk down, Akira nodded. "Let's say our idea at the same time, shall we?"

"We're not naming an island with a bunch of animals, Akira," The volleyball player deadpanned, but the smile quickly crept onto her face. "But let's try it."

"One, two, three..."

"'Swan'!" The duo said in unison, and they just widened their smile.

"Well, that's settled," Akira shrugged, his expression quickly turned into a serious one. "Let's go."

"Yeah."

* * *

[West Building, 1F]

Slipping through the hole on the wall, the duo quickly found that there's no a single guard in the hallway. Feeling that it's probably because Kamoshida's putting them somewhere else, they walked through the hallway and entered a room with three guards patrolling.

Quickly dashed to a stone pillar as cover, Jester smirked before glancing at Swan. "I guess we have to fight our way out of here." He said.

The thief in white nodded, summoning her whip-sword, and tightened her grip. Waiting for the right moment to strike, Akira took a deep breath before leaping onto it's back, gripping the edge of its mask. "Let's see who you really are!"

Ripping off the mask, Jester swiftly jumped off from its back with a backflip, his scythe gripped tightly in his hand. The shadow twitched uncontrollably before dissolving into a pile of black goo, revealing three pixies.

With Swan rushing to his side for aid, Jester smirked before pulling out his revolver. "They're weak to guns, let's safe some strength for later enemies." Nodding, Swan took out her sniper rifle and quickly fired three shots to the shadow, killing them instantly.

Once the battle ended, the duo quickly hid at the corner of another pillar, killing remaining shadow with ease. "Phew, that's was really easy..." Swan commented, holstering her sniper rifle.

"Yeah," Jester nodded, pointing at the door in front of them. "But let's keep going, this place is much larger than it seems."

jumping up to the ledges nearby, the duo avoided a few more patrolling shadows as they arrived at the staircase. "Well, since I have a grappling gun here, why wouldn't I use it?" Shrugging, Jester pulled out his grappling hook and fired, attaching to the ledges to 2/F.

"Hey, Jester," Swan deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Is it really bad to just run up the stairs?"

"Uh... I just wanted to use my grappling hook for something..." The Victorian-looking thief muttered, avoiding her unimpressed glance. "And it's boring to just run up..."

"You serious?" She pressed on, changing her gaze into a freezing one. "We're not coming to play, it's a serious matter in our hand."

"I... I know," He sighed, pointing at the wire above him. "But I've already fired it... no harm on following through?"

Giving out an annoyed sigh, Swan nodded. "...Fine," She reluctantly agreed, before she realized something. "Wait, since I don't have a grappling hook myself... does that mean I have to hold you?"

"U-Uh... yeah." Jester shuttered, internally thankful that the mask is hiding his blushes.

"So this is your true motive..." The thief in white said again, this time she was using a downright horrifying tone. "You're such a perv."

"W-what?! NO! It's just a coincidence!"

Narrowing her eyes and stared at Jester with a suspicion-filled glance, the duo stayed silent for a second before Swan sighed again. "Fine, I'll hold you." With that said, Swan instantly put her hands around his wrist. "Just go, it's embarrassing."

Hesitantly nodded, Jester clicked the trigger of the grappling gun again, pulling them to the next floor in a matter of seconds. Once they've landed on the new floor, the duo noticed a lone guard in front of them and instantly hid behind a nearby sofa.

"We should avoid it..." He suggested, peeking through the corner and waited for the perfect moment to dash past it.

However, glancing at Swan behind him, it seems that she had a different plan on her own. "...Jester, we just need to rip off the mask to gain an advantage, right?" She asked, which he answered with a nod.

Nodding to herself, Swan took out her whip-sword and waited for it to turn around. "OK, let me do it."

Even though avoiding the guards was the better plan, but some more fighting with the shadow won't harm them too much. Shrugging, Jester nodded in approval. "Let's wait for it to face away from us-"

However, before he could finish his word, the thief in white stood up from her cover. Using the sofa as a springboard, she jumped into the air toward the guard, detaching the blade to 'whip-mode'. Stepping on its chest, Swan noticed one of the blades sipped under the mask. Smirking, she leaped again from the shadow's chest and swung her whip, the blade followed her momentum and slice the mask off the shadow.

The shadow twitched before dissolving, revealing a lone Mandrake. "Le Pucelle! Kouha!"

The armored Persona materialized behind her and raised her sword, sending a burst of light toward the human-flower hybrid. Finally snapped out from his state of shock, Jester summoned his Persona in addition. "Moriarty! Eiha!"

The light and the curse energy mixed into a ball of light and shadow, hitting the shadow dead-center, killing it. Once the battle was over, Swan holstered her whip-sword and smiled.

"So, how did I do?" She asked, tilting her head.

Jester, on the other hand, only sighed before returning her smile. "Flashy and stylish, just like how a Phantom Thief should be."

Giggling, the two continued their exploration, they first tried a door next to where they're located, but there's it was locked. "I wish we know someone who can break open those doors for us..." Swan muttered.

"Maybe a giant hammer would do the trick... or a chainsaw," Jester shrugged, gesturing to the hallway. "Let's try this way."

The duo dashed along the hallway, avoiding another guard and entered another room. There's not a single guard present here, but steel bars were surrounding a single table, with a few levers with a goat head on the wall.

Swan used her sniper rifle's scope as a telescope. "It looked like a map..." She said.

"OK..." Trailing off, Jester walked up to a random lever and pulled. However, nothing happened. Raising an eye, the two tried a few more levers, but still nothing happened.

"So none of them is the real one..." Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he was about to pull another lever when they heard noises coming from outside. Widening their eyes as they glanced at each other, the duo instantly jumped into a nearby ledge, hiding in the shadow.

The door opened and revealed Ren and his group. "Look!" Ryuji exclaimed, pointing at the map in the middle. "There's something in there!"

The group quickly turned their attention to the map. "But the bars're blockin' our way in..." He grunted.

"If he's protecting it this securely, it has to be important," Morgana commented, glancing at Ren. "That means there should be a way in and out of here. Joker, do you think you can solve the mystery of this room?"

"So they're also using codename..." Jester murmured.

Ren, or Joker, smirked in response. "Of course."

Closing his eyes and activated his third-eye, he quickly walked over to two specific levers and pulled. And the bars quickly lift up in seconds. "How can he figure this out on the first try..." The Victorian-looking thief murmured again, narrowing his eyes at him.

The group walked over to the map, and Jester's suspicion only grew further. "Swan, wait here." He ordered.

"What for?"

"I'm going to have a talk with them..." Trailing off, he jumped off the ledge and emerged from the shadow. "...Well, it's surprising that you're able to lift the bars with the first try, Joker, right?"

The group yelped in surprise and turned to him, widening their eyes. "Another Persona user?!" Morgana yelped in shock, taking a step back.

"Call me 'Jester'," Jester introduced himself with a bow, before jumping into the air with a flip and grabbed the map. "And sorry, we need this map too."

"A map?!" Exclaiming in shock, Skull quickly pulled out his shotgun and pointed at him. "Hey, give it back!" His teammates followed, pulling out their guns as well.

"...I'm sorry, but I told you, we need this map too," Sighing, Jester pulled out his revolver, pointing at the thieves. "But I guess we're gonna fight for it."

"...Besides, I can't really trust you."


	6. Infiltrating the Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before starting the chapter, I would like to welcome the second OC from RosyMiranto18, Higashikuni Hinaki! *Clapping* She's the Student Council President of Kosei, and someone who's struggling to understand others...
> 
> I can't wait to see how would this character intertwined with both Joker and Jester's teams!
> 
> In all and all, I hope you, the readers, like the fic so far!
> 
> Comments are welcome!

"Besides... I can't really trust you."

Swan couldn't believe what in the actual world Jester just said, widening her eyes in shock. 'What's wrong with him?!' She thought. 'They're not our enemy! Why would you-'

However, the little smirk on his face said otherwise, and she realized his reason for fighting them. "...Is it because you're not sure that they could take on kamoshida?"

Jester Pulled the trigger without hesitation, the bullet barely touching Joker's mask. And chaos unleashed between them.

Joker quickly rolling off to his side, touching his mask and summoned his Persona. "Arsene!"

Noting the crimson gentlemen behind him, Jester smirked before summoning Moriarty. "Come, Moriarty!"

"EIHA!"

The two leaders exclaimed in unison. Their Persona fired a burst of curse energy at the same time, the energy clashed with each other and exploded. Jester and Joker got knocked back for a few steps, and Morgana quickly dashed behind him and jumped, holding his bandit sword and swung.

However, the Victorian-looking thief already saw it coming and holstered his revolver, rolling backward and dodged the slash. "If I remember correctly, you're Morgana, right?" He asked, his scythe appeared in thin air and he grabbed it. "I've been wondering, what are you exactly? A living doll, or a mascot coming to life?"

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Morgana narrowed his eyes at him. "Why would I answer you!"

"You don't need to answer it. I'm just wondering," Jester shrugged, noting Ryuji pumping his shotgun and aimed. "C'mon, I'm not-"

Ryuji pulled the trigger without hesitation, spraying hot lead toward him. However, Jester instantly rolled forward and dodged the shot. "Pixie! Zio!" Taking this as his opportunity, Joker touched his mask again.

However, it wasn't Arsene Jester was expecting. Instead, it was the Pixie he had fought a moment before. "What the hell-" Before he could finish, lighting suddenly struck his body.

And it hurt like hell.

"Ahh!" Exclaiming in pain, the Victorian-looking thief was knocked down and rolled away. "D-damn... Hurt like shit..."

"Lighting is his weakness!" Morgana shouted, and everyone nodded.

Closing his eyes for a second, the fact that Joker suddenly used a different Persona confused him. "How the hell... can you use multiple Persona..."

Ignoring the pain throughout his body, Jester tried his best to stand up. "I guess one vs. four wasn't a great idea at all..." Taking a deep breath, tightening his grip on his scythe. "But I'm not going down that easily."

Without hesitation, Ann swung her whip and tied to the handle of Jester's scythe, pulling back with all her strength. Struggling, he glanced around and noticed Ryuji rushing toward him, and he released his grip on the scythe and rolled away. "Persona! Revolver Shot!"

Moriarty quickly appeared behind Jester and fired, the bullet flew past him and hit the wall behind Ryuji. Widening his eyes in surprise, the ex-runner grunted and summoned his Persona. "Captain Kidd! Zio!"

"Shit!" Exclaiming in shock, Jester quickly shielded his eyes with his hand, expecting the lighting to hit him.

However, the blow never came.

Lowering his hands, Jester only saw the back of a woman in white armor. "Le Pucelle... Swan?" He murmured, turning back to saw Swan emerging from the shadow, the mask reappeared on her face as the Persona faded.

The three thieves, on the other hand, only stared at the white thief in disbelief. "Wha- There's more?!" Ryuji yelled in surprise, taking a step backward.

"Swan, I told you to-" Jester's word was interrupted as she suddenly smacked the top of his head.

"Just stop this stupid fight, OK?" She said unimpressed, taking the map from his coat. "I know you're not sure they would be able to take Kamoshida down or not, but we shouldn't be fighting each other here."

"...It's more than just that..." Jester murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "But here's not the place to explain it."

Giving him a death glare, Swan picked up the scythe from the ground and threw the map to the table. "You just want the map, right?"

"Swan, we need this map too-"

"Is it worth wasting our time and fight each other?" The white thief retorted, tossing the scythe to its owner. "We're here to take Kamoshida down."

"...You're right," Sighing, Jester fired his grappling hook and pulled the two of them into the shadows, leaving the four thieves alone.

Once the two were gone, silence filled the room for a long while. "Well... at least we got the map," Joker sighed, walking up to the table and examined the map.

Morgana took a look at the map as well, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "It seems like this map is incomplete..."

"So there's more of them?" Ann asked, resting an arm to her hips. "I hate having to fight them if this gonna happen again."

"But there's no other way, there's only one map here," The cat-like thief sighed, shaking his head. "But with that Swan lady here, I think Jester won't fight us again."

"I hope so..." Ryuji trailed off, noticing Ann being unusually silent. "Panther, somethin' on your mind?"

Snapping out from her own thought, Ann, now Panther, furrowed her brow for a moment. "I don't know... but Swan sounded familiar..."

"Familiar?" Joker asked, raising an eye in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know why... but..." Trailing off, the dominatrix-looking thief quickly shook head and cleared of those thoughts. "We'll probably meet them again later on, let's ask them when it's so."

"Then let's keep going then," Joker suggested, and with a nod from everyone, they continued their infiltration.

* * *

On the other hand, the duo dashed across the hallway and avoided the two guards patrolling. Finding themselves in the center hall again, Jester frowned as he noticed the pathway is blocked with steel bars.

"Great, more bars..." Sighing, he looked around only to see Swan still glaring at him. "Um... we need to find another way to get across."

However, Swan didn't answer him, and she just kept her glare at him.

Awkwardly smiling, Jester took out his grappling hook and aimed at the chandelier nearby. "We shouldn't waste more time, like what you said-"

"What's the other reason that you don't trust them?"

Surprised at her sudden question, the Victorian-looking thief paused for a second before sighing. "Well... I don't know why, but Joker's ability to use multiple Persona was... weird."

"Weird? Where?"

"You know, Persona is basically the other you in your heart, right?" He asked, which Swan responded with a nod. "But I just... have a feeling, OK?"

However, Jester didn't, and couldn't mention Elizabeth's request. In all of the Persona-User, Joker was the only one with the ability to use more than one... He needed to ask Elizabeth about this. But where should he go to find her?

Shaking his head to clear his thought, Jester aimed his grappling gun again, awkwardly giggling. "O-OK, I guess you need to hold on to me again..."

Snapping out from her own thought, Swan blinked a few times before sighing. "Note to self, you have to get me a grappling gun," With that said, she put her arms around him and held tight.

Trying his best to keep the blush from forming, Jester fired the grappling hook and swung themselves to the ledge on the other side. Landing swiftly, they noticed a window nearby and checked it. It turned out was connected with the front gate of the castle.

"Convenient," Swan shrugged, pointing at the opened door on the hallway. "Well, let's check out that place."

Nodding, the two walked back to the other side and entered the room, and the thing which caught their attention was a treasure chest. However, it was licked with a golden lock.

"Well, I guess we can't open it," Sighing in disappointment, Jester noticed the weird feeling coming from the room behind them. Narrowing his eyes, they glanced at each other and entered the room.

Once the two entered the room, the view in front of them merged into the classroom before turning back to its usual form. "This place feels safe for some reason," Swan commented, sitting down in the chair and stretched herself. "Maybe we can take a rest here."

"Yeah..." Jester nodded, taking off his mask and top hat as he sat down on the opposite end. However, just as he sat down on the chairs, the damages he got earlier finally came back and he clutched his side in pain. "D-dammit, it hurt more than I think..."

Widening her eyes in shock, Swan instantly got up from her seat and held his shoulder. "Aki-Jester! You're OK?"

"J-just... it just hurt a lot more than I thought..." The Victorian-looking thief faintly smiled, still clutching his abdomen in pain. "To think that they just happen to hit my weakness..."

"Be careful next time we face anything, alright?" The white thief sighed, summoning Le Pucelle. "Dia."

As a wave of emerald-shaded light covered him, Jester felt the pain lessened and sighed in relief. "...Thank you, Swan," He muttered, giving her a nod.

"We have to count on each other, alright?" She asked, holding his shoulder with both of her hands.

"I know, but..." Sighing again, he stood up from the chair and put on the mask and the top hat. "Let's continue on. There's still a lot in this castle."

* * *

After some exploring along the ledges with a few close calls, the duo reached another room. And the only access to the other room was blocked by... even more bars.

"Seriously?!" The duo exclaimed in unison, groaning in annoyance.

"Well, let's see which combination is the real one," Jester suggested, examining the lever next to the bars.

The two walked around for a while, noticing a faint hint of footprints on the floor. Gesturing Swan to come, Jester pointed at the footprints before the two went on the opposite, following the footprints until it reached a lever.

"I got one lever here!" Swan exclaimed, earning a nod from Jester.

"OK, let's pull it at the same time!" He responded with the same volume, gripping the handle. "one, two, three!"

The duo pulled the lever at the same time, and the steel bars lifted in response. Smiling, they gave each other a high-five before continuing. The room was basically a canteen hall with multiple rooms, only to be blocked with more steel bars and levers.

"Oh c'mon, I'm going to have PTSD from bars in this rate," Groaning in annoyance, Jester found a couple more lever, and randomly pulled one of them.

Luckily, the bar next to the lever lifted, but the original one closed. Shrugging, the two continued their exploration. Pulling a few more levers, they found themselves to be trapped in a small room. Thankfully, they noticed a small vent a moment later.

Leaping up on the large cabinet, the two glanced at each other for a second. "I'll go first," Jester volunteered, lowing himself and started to crawl. "Hey, don't stare at me, it's mutual for boys too!"

"I didn't say anything..." Deadpanning, Swan decided to keep looking down at the floor. The two kept crawling for a minute, and they reached a room with a treasure chest with no lock on it.

Noticing the fact that there's only one lever in this room, Swan tapped his shoulder and pointed at it. His eyes darted between the chest and the lever for a second, before walking over and pulled the lever. With slight hissing, a few more bars lifted, revealing a path.

"Finally..." Peeking over and grinned at the revealed path, the Victorian-looking thief looked over to the chest in the room. Opening it, they only found a Sooty Ghastly Gear.

"Ugh... It looked disgusting..." Swan commented, her body unintentionally leaned away from it. "Please, don't tell me you're going to wear it."

"Well, there's a coin laundry in Yongen, I can wash it over there," Jester shrugged, taking the gear with him. "Even I have hygiene standards for myself."

"Um... I don't want to know your hygiene... or anything similar," Shaking her head, Swan looked over the path they just opened. "Anyway, let's go."

The two dashed through the dining room and entered the only way out as they could find, surprised to see a lone shadow patroling in the middle. Knowing that it's an unavoidable battle, Jester hopped onto the back of the shadow, ripping its mask off.

Leaping off with a swift backflip, they were faced with two Cait Sith. "Persona, revolver Shot!" Jester summoned Moriarty, and it swift fired a bullet at the cat-like shadow. However, it wasn't enough to knock them down or kill them instantly.

Following his attack, Swan removed her mask and summoned Le Pucelle, "Cleave!" Holding the sword with both of her hands, the armored Persona leaped to the air and slashed the injured Cait Sith, killing it.

However, the other Cait Sith only grunted in annoyance before casting a fireball, hitting Jester in his chest. Knocked back a bit, he instantly felt a wave of green light surrounded him.

Noticing Swan was actively healing him, he smirked before pulling out his revolver, emptying the bullets contained into its body. Sighing that the shadow was still standing, Swan took out her sniper rifle and fired, the bullet went through the shadow's head and killed it.

Once the battled ended, the duo continued their exploration, finding another unlocked treasure behind them and opened it. Even though they only found a Soul Drop from the chest, the pair was happy that they did have some result and making progress on infiltrating the palace.

Avoiding as many shadows as possible, they finally reached the staircase toward the third floor. However, there's a problem in front of them.

"Well, the condition is worse than I thought," Jester commented, noting how ruined and broken the stairs were.

"Wait," Swan said, pointing at the goat-shaped decoration above them. "We can grapple up there."

Glancing at the goat head, the Victorian-looking thief took out his grappling hook. "I guess you have to hold me again, Swan."

Nodding, the white thief did the same thing like before, and the two reached the third floor in no time. Once they reached the third floor, they took notice of a shadow with the menacing aura surrounding it.

The two looked at each other for a moment before leaping onto the ledges nearby, avoiding every shadow they saw and examined the layout of the floor. After that, they continued avoiding as many shadows as possible and looked into the four rooms on the floor.

After a few battles with the shadows in those rooms, the duo returned into the only safe room with two books in their hands.

"So 'The Queen's Book' and 'The Slave's Book'..." Jester trailed off, placing the two books on the table. "Swan, any idea for what these are for?"

"Maybe there's a library or some sort..." Swan murmured, stroking her chin thoughtfully as she examined the book on the table. "So... we're continuing on or what?"

"I think it's enough for today," The Victorian-looking thief sighed in tiredness, glancing at her with a hint of a smirk. "You looked tired too."

"...You're right. I really need something to eat right now..." Swan sighed, standing up from her seat. "Let's go. I really want some beef..."

Sighing with a faint smile, Jester took out his phone and opened the Meta-Nav. Pressing on the button labeled 'entrance', the duo quickly found they're back on the front gate of the castle.

* * *

[Late Afternoon, Shibuya, Ore no Beko]

After exiting the palace, Shiho basically pulled Akira to the only beef bowl shop in the central street 'Ore no Beko'. Even though it's the rush hour right now, but the shop was unusually empty.

"So delicious~" Shiho moaned in bliss, a smiled of happiness crept onto her face as she dug into the beef bowl in front of her.

"Well, since it's the rush hour, we're gonna stay here for a while," Akira said, taking a bite into the beef bowl. "...That's alright, a bit too salty for my taste."

"Too salty?" She questioned, raising an eye as she took a bite of her own beef bowl. "No, it's perfectly seasoned..."

"It's perfectly seasoned for you, but it's too much for me," He shrugged, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I should try to cook some beef bowl myself..."

"You can cook?"

"Yeah, I lived alone, after all," Akira nodded, taking another bite into the beef and rice in front of him. "And I always had to cook for Kimiko and Shinji, so I'm pretty OK with it."

"Kimiko and Shinji..." Shiho murmured, looked down at the table for a second. "It's a miracle that we didn't meet any mention of her in the castle..."

"Right," He nodded. "I hope we won't see her in the castle too..."

"Yeah..."

With that said, the duo continued their meal in silence. Until Shiho decided to break the awkward silence between them.

"Hey, Akira... would you mind if you cook some beef bowl next time? I want to try your cooking." She murmured, a hint of a blush slowly but surely crept onto her face as she stared at the empty bowl in front of her.

"My cooking?" Akira raised an eye in confusion, putting down the chopsticks as he finished his beef bowl. "Uh... Actually, I'm not that good at cooking..."

"I remember that time that I almost set my apartment on fire..." He shuddered as the memories surfaced in his mind. "If Shinji hadn't grabbed the fire extinguisher in time... you'll probably hear about how idiotic I am on the news."

Shiho giggled at his words in response, using her hand to cover her mouth. "Well, you won't be that bad."

"Bad to the bone, my friend," Akira jokingly replied, staring at her with puppy eyes.

Shiho burst out laughing, slamming the table as she tried to control the laughter. "O-oh my god! The face you made is precious!"

"Is it really this precious?" He said, keeping the puppy eyes as he tilted his head.

"Yes, It- It must be protected with all cost!" The volleyball player said between the laughter, pulling out her phone and took a picture of his face. "Here, now this look is exclusive to me, don't you dare to show it to anyone else, Akira."

However, Shiho's face suddenly changed into a cold stare, and the smile was replaced with a cold smirk. "Not. Even. Ann." She said with a horrifyingly cheerful tone.

"O-OK..." Akira shuttered, nervously coughing as he took a sip of his green tea. "I-I'll remember that."

Gulping, Akira turned his head away and faintly shivered. 'T-this isn't the Shiho I remembered... Or is it the real Shiho?' He thought. 'A-anyway, it's scary...'

* * *

[On the other hand, Kosei High School]

For many, Kosei High School was a school where every student could shine under their own spotlight. However, it's not the case for **Izumo Shinji**. For him, he wasn't transferred to this place... he ran away from the past, from Kimiko's death.

Walking down the brightly lited hallway of the school, he brushed his dark crimson hair to the right, and his jet-black eyes were covered with dark circles. "Why would she suddenly ask me to the council office... I already told her it's no use..."

Sighing, he finally arrived at the student council office, and he knocked on the door a few times. "You can come in, Izumo-Kun," A voice rang from the room, and Shinji twisted the doorknob and entered the room.

The room was just like how everyone would expect from a student council office, a conference table with a few seats on either side of the table. And the source of that voice was sitting on one of them.

She was **Higashikuni Hinaki** , the president of Kosei's student council. She was a third-year student with mid-length brown hair, which was held with a purple daisy hairclip, her red-rimmed glasses covering her black iris.

Now only that, her uniform was modified with a light blue summer shirt and the golden-colored sweater vast, under the sapphire-colored jacket of Kosei's uniform.

"Higashikuni-San, it's the fourth time you called me in this month only," Shinji deadpanned, putting his shoulder bag on the chair while sitting on the one right opposite of the one Hinaki sat on. "Just... don't ask me those questions, OK?"

"Izumo-Kun, I'm responsible for helping you blend into Kosei's environment," Hinaki said, releasing a long and deep sigh. "I've talked to Akashi... I know you two are not in the best place right now..."

"Just get to point, I'm sick of words of pity," The crimson-haired boy retorted coldly, crossing his arms. "What is it this time?"

"Izumo-Kun, your status is... concerning," The student council president gulped, leaning a bit forward with a worried expression. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I'll try my best to fix this for you. You have a bright future as a professional drummer."

"Is it how everyone else is looking at you? Or you can't follow up with studies?"

Slowly enraged with each suggestion Hinaki brought up, Shinji finally reached his boiling point. Every week, she just called him here and asked him what happened. It's obvious, wasn't it? Why couldn't she just understand him!

"Just cut the crap, Higashikuni-San!" He exclaimed in a rage, startling Hinaki in the middle of her talk. "You call me here EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN WEEK, just to say a bunch of nothing!"

"No! I'm just here to help you. If you just tell me what's going on, what's bothering you, I'll try my best to help you out-"

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, slamming the table with a loud 'bang', loud enough for those who just passed the room to overhear. "You never understand what I'm going through. You never experience the pain I had to go through!"

"I-I..." Hinaki shuttered, looking down in silence. Right, she never lost someone close to her, especially from suicide. "Yes, I never experience what you've gone through, but I generally wanted to understand you."

"Huh, trying to understand," Shinji snickered, but his fist only tightened to the point that blood almost started to slip through the gap between his fingers. "Let me tell you what in the actual fuck I am going through."

"My best friend killed herself because Kamoshida raped her, and he's still getting away with it!" He yelled at the top of his lung, staring at Hinaki's shocked face. "Not only that, Kamoshida blamed everything to Akira! Do you hear me? That trash of a human being blamed Akira as a fucking rapist!"

"And what now? Naoko had to suffer because the pain this caused her, Akira has to suffer through being labeled as a rapist and while struggling to stay in Shujin, and I fucking run away! I transfer to this place to RUN AWAY!" The crimson-haired boy paused, taking a deep breath as the tears started to pour out of his eyelid.

"Izumo-Kun..." Hinaki only stared at him in disbelief. How could Shujin Academy still operate with this kind of scandal! "I-if so, why didn't the news talked about it?"

"Because the principal is treating Kamoshida as his golden child, and he just covered it!" Shinji exclaimed in anger again, punching the desk with another loud 'bang'. "Now Akira hates me because I'm a coward, and Naoko treated me as a stranger because I remind her of Kimiko... And I gave up my only passion for drumming."

"You tell me, Higashikuni-San, what is wrong with me." He finished, looking at his hand. "If you're just going to tell me to keep playing drum, just shut it. I've..."

_"Shinji-Kun, you're leaving Shujin?"_

_"Why? I... You're the only one who saw me as a friend... Why do you have to leave?"_

_"Why? Answer me, please!"_

"I've lost everyone, Akira, Kimiko, Naoko... a-and M-Makoto..." Shinji murmured, breaking down as he struggled to say her name. "Now you know what I've gone through, can you even understand a second of this?"

"Izumo-Kun..." Hinaki trailed off, pulling out a pack of tissue and gave it to him. "I-I don't think to keep you here would improve anything, I'll try to... do something about all this."

In response, Shinji only wiped the tears with the tissue she gave him, shaking his head and left the room without a word. With a 'click', silence filled the student council's office again. However, Hinaki only stared at the door, didn't even move an inch for a long while.

"Izumo-Kun said he lost all of his friends..." She murmured to herself, memories of their previous meeting slowly but sure surface in her mind.

_"Ichijou Akira? Who is he?"_

_"He's... one of my best friends. Before I transfer to this school."_

_"OK..."_

"Right, what if..." Trailing off, Hinaki pushed her glasses, and a firm look took over. "I'll keep trying to help you, Izumo-Kun. I can't just give up."


	7. Route Secured

[21st April, Morning]

After the whole exploration in the Metaverse, Akira basically just crashed onto his couch and drifted into the dreamland. However, he still able to force himself to take a shower and packed up the clothes.

With a whole night's worth of sleep, Akira felt oddly energetic as he walked to Shujin. How long had he even felt anywhere close to this?

Putting his headphone around his neck, he sighed as he remembered how long Shiho's break last. "All the way until 2nd May, that's gonna be a long while for me." Murmuring to himself, he ignored the usual whispers around him and walked straight to his classroom.

However, he didn't notice a certain brunette was observing him from a distance.

"He looks better than before... That's weird," **Nijima Makoto** muttered to herself, crossing her arms as she clutched her eyes together, trying to block out those memories.

For a split second, she almost saw Shinji walking beside him, laughing and smiling. Just like how it was before Kamoshida's entrance... If Kamoshida never came to Shujin, then Kimoko won't die, and Shinji won't leave Shujin.

And HER Shinji won't leave her here...

"N-no, it's not the time to think about Shinji..." Roughly shaking her head, Makoto did a mental slap to herself and walked away.

Back to Akira's side, the lessons were just as dull as usual, endless lecture of something he either had no interest in or that already knew about. Sighing, he decided to enjoy the view outside, drifting off into the memories of his last visit to the Velvet Room.

[Last night, Velvet Room]

 _"Welcome back, Akira," Elizabeth smiled, taking a sip of her drink as she leaned against the bar_ table. _"So, I can see that your infiltration into the castle of lust is going great."_

_"Kind of," Akira shrugged, remembering the face that Ren could use multiple Persona and decided to ask. "So uh... Elizabeth, can someone use more than one Persona?"_

_Elizabeth blinked, the drink in her hand almost slipped off her hand. "...So you've encountered with the Wildcard..." Trailing off, she put down the glass and stood straight. "If we're want to be straight to the point, yes."_

_"OK, so that's possible." Akira nodded, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "But you mentioned the word 'wildcard', what does that mean?"_

_"It is the ability to use multiple Persona," The velvet room's attendant explained, but Akira could notice that there's a hint of sadness hidden in her eyes. "N-not only that, a Wildcard user is also a guest of the Velvet Room."_

_"Guest of the Velvet Room?" Widening his eyes in realization, Akira leaned forward toward her. "So Amamiya is the guest..."_

_"Amamiya? So that's the Wildcard's name," Elizabeth nodded. "Be careful, Akira. We need to keep our knowledge on Yaldabaoth as a secret; if it found out that he does not capture me, the result would be horrifying."_

_"I know."_

"Besides, I need to get Kamoshida's business finished before Shiho comes back..." Trailing off, his quiet time of looking into the cherry blossom was interrupted with a murderous glare. "...Shit."

"Hey, Ichijou! Stop drifting off!" Mr. Ushimaru yelled, spinning the chalk in his hand before throwing it to him. The white chalk flew through the air with a loud 'whoosh', aiming at Akira's forehead, dead center.

Widening his eyes, Akira instantly shifted his head aside, barely dodging the white bullet which flew past his head and shattered on the wall behind him. Mr. Ushimaru could only stare at the action with a shocked expression, but he quickly recomposed himself and returned into his lecture.

Taking a few deep breaths, Akira blinked for a few times before giving out a silent sigh. "Thank god..."

However, he didn't notice a particular black cat staring at him from the drawer, raising its eyes in confusion. "He's more agile than I thought... And that feeling..." He muttered.

* * *

[Lunchtime, Cafeteria]

Even though he tried his best, but Akira still couldn't get the special Yakisoba Pan from the store. Sighing to himself, he sat down at a corner of the cafeteria with a cheese and ham sandwich with a box of milk.

Noting that everyone in the cafeteria was giving him nervous glances, and the whispers emerged again. "Rumors never change, huh," The amateur writer muttered to himself, taking a bite into his sandwich when a certain girl suddenly walked up to him with her own bento.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?" The girl asked, and Akira raised an eye at the girl before recognizing her. It was Kasumi.

"O-oh, it's empty," Akira quickly nodded, gesturing the empty seat around him. "But didn't you heard about the rumors about me?"

"Rumors?" Kasumi shook her head in response, placing her bento on the table. "To be honest, I'm not really onto any kind of rumors..."

Raising an eye in curiosity, he pondered for a moment before shrugging. "Well, this isn't my seat, I don't really mind."

The honor student smiled and bowed politely, "Thank you, Senpai."

Shrugging, Akira took another bite of his sandwich when Kasumi suddenly bring another gigantic bento. Widening his eyes, he could only stare at the scene in front of him. "Um... No offense, but are you preparing all these for a lunch with someone?"

"Hmm?" Raising an eye in confusion, Kasumi glanced at her bento before shaking her head. "No, it's all for my lunch."

"Huh..." Awkwardly smiling, the amateur writer glanced at his sandwich before a feeling of inferiority suddenly emerged from his heart. "Maybe I should start cooking my own lunch..."

* * *

[Afterschool, frontgate]

After some messaging with Shiho during the lessons and a revision of the 'map' he roughly sketched during the exploration. Akira instantly left the classroom after the bell rang. However, just as he was about to leave school, Kamoshida suddenly appeared in front of him and stopped him in the track.

"Leaving now, Ichijou?" The PE teacher said with a disgustingly friendly tone, the smile was too wide to be genuine at all. "It's unusual that you're willing to leave this early."

"I have no time for someone like you," Akira said with a death glare, trying his best form letting his emotion overthrew him. "So please excuse me, I have my own business to attend."

With that said, Akira ignored him and continued his walk to the front gate. But before he exited the school, Kamoshida suddenly said, "It would be a shame that the Kirijo Group couldn't help you anymore when you're expelled, Ichijou."

Stopping in the middle of his walk, the amateur writer widened his eyes for a split second before turning into a determined gaze. "So you're giving me a deadline, huh. Now I'm motivated, thank you."

Before the teacher could say anything more, Akira walked out of the front gate. And just like how it was yesterday, Shiho was already waiting for him, browsing her phone with an unimpressed look.

However, instead of her Shujin uniform which Akira expected, she was wearing an azure T-shirt with the word 'Swan' on the chest with white windbreaker with black stripes on the arms over it. However, the one thing that stopped Akira in his track was that... she was wearing a pair of hot pants out of anything.

Glancing up from her phone and spotted Akira, Shiho closed the website she was browsing and smiled. "Did you just ran out of school once the bell rang?" She jokingly asked.

"Well, yeah," The amateur writer shrugged, but giving out a heavy sigh. "But, I have some bad news here."

"Bad news?"

"Kamoshida's planning to get me expelled," He explained, leaning against the wall beside her. "But the board meeting is on 2nd May, so we have a little under two weeks to finish his palace."

"2nd May... So we have to finish this before I return to school..." Shiho trailed off, opening the Meta-Nav and tapped on the search history. "Then let's do this quick. After all, I'm not going to Shujin if you're not here with me."

Widening his eyes in surprise, Akira was about to ask her about this when the world distorted around him. Within a blink, he found himself in the palace again.

[Kamoshida's Palace, Front Gate.]

Once the duo was in the palace again, Swan scrolled through the list of saferoom and hovered over the one on East building. "Hey Jester, you still got those two books, right?"

Jester slightly jumped, as if he was snapped out from some deep thought. "Y-yeah, I still have them," He nodded, showing her the two books. "The Slave Book and The Queen Book... I have a bad feeling about what's in these books."

"I just hope we don't have to read what's in them..." She sighed, tapping on the button and teleported them into the saferoom.

Opening the door, the duo instantly jumped onto the ledges nearby. Avoiding the shadows patrolling on the hallway, they entered a library-looking room with bookshelves filling the wall.

"Um... why would there's a library here?" Jester asked out loud, checking books on the shelves.

And those titles were disgusting.

"'The History of Kamoshida', 'Tracing Kamoshida's Steps', 'Kamoshida's law'..." Trailing off, he couldn't help but taking off his mask and rubbed his nosebridge. "What the hell am I looking at..."

Swan gave him a worried glance, but quickly noticed an empty slot in the role of books. "Wait, we can put something in it."

"Huh?" Raising an eye, Jester stared at the empty slot before taking out the two books. "Wait a sec. Maybe we can put them in..."

Just as he was about to put a book for testing, the door behind them suddenly opened, following by Ryuji's voice, "Man, there's must be other books on this floor."

However, he didn't notice the sound of a grappling hook as the duo quickly hid into the shadows. Not only that, but there are also two books lied on the table nearby.

"Wait a sec, why are there books lied over there?" Tilting his head in confusion, Mona took the books from the table and examined them. "No way, these are the books we needed!"

"So they just lyin' here for this whole time?" Ryuji questioned, crossing his arms.

"They aren't there yesterday..." Joker murmured to himself, glancing around but saw nothing. "But whatever, now we can solve this stupid puzzle."

"Right," Panther nodded, walking over to the slot Jester just looked into. "'Kamoshida's Law', 'Tracing Kamoshida's Steps'... I think it's for the King's Book."

"Here," Joker nodded, tossing the book to her.

"'Sakamoto Ryuji, The Vulgar Ape'..." Grunting in annoyance, Ryuji looked over to Morgana with a hand extended. "Mona, what do you think it's for?"

"I assume it's 'The Slave Book', Skull," Mona said, giving him the Slave Book and tossed the final book to Joker. "Well, there's only one left, Joker."

"I know," Joker nodded, taking The Queen Book from his hand, inserting it to the slot right in front of him. They inserted the book into the empty slot in front of them, and the wall behind them suddenly moved, revealing a new room behind it.

"Whoa, it opened up?!" Ryuji, now Skull exclaimed, widening his eyes in surprise.

"You got it, team!" Mona grinned in pride. "Let's take a look inside!"

Meanwhile, Jester and Swan were observing them from the shadow. "So that's what they're for." Jester sighed in relief as the hidden room was revealed, but narrowed his eyes at the room.

"Wait a minute, there are photos..." Swan trailed off, glancing at him with a worried look. "Should we wait for them to go, or not?"

"I think we can wait," He shrugged. "And from the look of it, it won't be anything pleasant..."

Meanwhile, the thieves entered the room and looked around. "It's that cross again..." Panther trailed off, tightening her grip on her other hand she noticed the photos on the wall.

"It's all photo about Shiho... Wait, there's also Akashi's photo..." Widening her eyes in shock, she felt a hand gently placed on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze.

"Kamoshida's gonna pay for this, everythin'," It was Skull, giving her a faint smile before hardening his gaze toward the photos. "For Suzui's sake, and Akashi's sake."

"Skull's right, Panther," Mona agreed with a nod.

Panther faintly smiled in return, before noticing the medal they're looking for was lying on the shelf. "Wait, there's the medal!"

Without a word, the group walked to the shelf next to the cross and found the medal they were looking for. And under that was another map, describing the rest of the castle.

"Now our map is complete!" Mona said with a proud smirk.

"So is it gonna tell us where the treasure is?" Skull asked.

"It seems like it," Joker replied, pointing at the spot with a chest drawn on it. "I don't know why would Kamoshida left this symbol here, but it seems like there's the treasure."

"Well, that's a weird-shaped building..." Panther commented, tilting her head in deep thought. "Could this be a tower or something?"

"It seems like it," Their leader nodded, taking out the first map and studied them for a moment. "Judging from where we are right now, we're about halfway there already."

"All right! Then let's hurry over there!" Skull smirked, pumping his fists.

However, Panther only cast him an unimpressed glance in response. "We can't just blindly rush in just it's nothing."

"Now that we know how much we have left, we should find the best way to pace ourselves," Mona added, resting his arms on his hips. "Not only that, what are we going to do with the whole Jester situation?"

The three other Persona users all sighed in unison in response. "You're right, it's weird that we haven't met them again after that fight," Joker commented, putting the map into his coat's pocket. "But either they're avoiding us, or they were way ahead of us."

"I agree with Joker," Panther nodded.

"Me too," Skull nodded as well, and his head slumped for a moment. "Anyway, it's no use just to stay here and talk."

Joker nodded and led everyone out of the library, but they were interrupted as a guard suddenly entered the room and spotted them. _**"...Hm? Hey! What are you doing?!"**_ It said, dashing toward them.

"Dammit, of course they spot us now," The Cat-like thief grunted in annoyance, readying his Sling Bow.

"It's time to make a path for ourselves then!" Skull exclaimed, pumping his shotgun. "Let's do this!"

With that said, the guard dissolved into black goo before emerging as two Bicorns. However, the third one emerged a whole moment later, and purple aura surrounding it with some sparks as it kept mumbling to itself. "Oh, it that..." Mona muttered out loud, widening his eyes in surprise.

"What's up with that one?" The ex-runner asked out loud, raising an eye at the Bicorn with unusual aura. "It's mumblin' to itself, but... it's not makin' any moves."

"Yeah, care to explain, Mona?" Panther added, tightening her grip on her whip.

"Be careful, if my prediction is correct, that one's a bit problematic for us," Mona explained.

"Alright, Then I'll go take care of it!" Skull nodded, dashing forward and struck the unusual shadow with his club. However, it suddenly charged back just after his attack, barely missed him.

"Whoa, what the hell?!"

"It started moving after we attacked it..." Mona trailed off, narrowing his gaze. "Looks like it's exactly what I expected."

"Once we take it down-" He interrupted himself, glancing at Joker and Skull. "Hey, you two! Watch this!"

Without any other word, he slashed the shadow with his sword. And it morphed into a purple orb of energy before exploding, severely damaging the other two Bicorn around it.

"What the..." Skull trailed off, still processing the event just unfolded in front of him.

"It's called disaster shadows!" Mona exclaimed, making sure there's enough distance between them and the shadows. "Once you killed it, it'll explode like that!"

"Hit it's weakness or just make it unable to move so we can deal with it later!"

"Got it," Joker smirked, pulling out his pistol and fired two bullets at the shadows, killing them instantly.

Once the battle was ended, Joker holstered his pistol with a spin. "So disaster shadows... huh," He commented, gesturing everyone else to go.

With a nod, they exited the library swiftly, and the duo finally emerged from the shadows. "Disaster shadows... Let's keep them in mind," Jester commented, glancing at Swan beside him. "...Swan?"

Swan, on the other hand, only stared at the hidden room before them and walked toward it. "These pictures..." She trailed off, tightening her grip on the whip-sword.

Worried by her action, Jester quickly followed her and entered the room, but was stopped by the sight before him. "They're not only about you, but Kimiko as well..." Trailing off, he tore a single picture from the wall and examined it. "Kamoshida... You fucking bastard."

It was a picture of Kimiko's thigh, shot in an extremely sexualized manner.

Crushing the picture with his hand, the Victorian-looking thief clutched his eyes for a second, before turning it into a rage-filled gaze. "You will pay for this, Kamo-fucking-shida... You're gonna pay for Kimiko..."

"He's not going to get away from what he's done..." Swan trailed off, grabbing his cheeks and turned him so she's looking at his eyes directly. "But don't lose yourself to the rage, OK? Look at me."

"You're right, Swan..." He sighed, caressing her hands with his, a bitter smile on his face. "I... it feels weird. It feels weird to have a way to take down Kamoshida finally."

"Me too," She nodded, her hands leaving his cheeks. "Let's continue on, shall we?"

Nodding, the duo exited the library and continued their infiltration. Noticing the previously blocked door was unlocked, they opened the door and ran down the hallway. They did found a safe room at the end of the hallway, but the sound of combat interrupted them.

Without another word, the duo entered the church-like area with Kamoshida's statue in the middle of the area. The group was fighting an Archangel, and they're struggling at it.

"Dammit, we need healing!" Skull shouted, holding Panther up with his strength. "Mona! We can't just let this keep happening!"

"I know!" Mona replied with the same volume, dodging another slash from the armored shadow. "But we need to find an opening so I can heal! I can't just heal you all at the same time-"

"Le Pucelle! Media!"

Feeling a wave of green aura surrounded them and the pain lessened, the group turned around and noticed the duo. "J-Jester?" Joker murmured, taking a deep breath before getting up on his feet.

"Revolver Shot!" Jester shouted, summoning Moriarty as he dodged another frantic strike from the Archangel with a roll on the ground. "You're OK?" He asked, holding a hand out toward Skull.

"Y-yeah," Skull nodded, taking his hand and lifted him off the ground. "Thank you..."

"I know we're not in a great position the last time we met," Jester shrugged, pulling out his revolver and held it in his left hand while holding the scythe with his right. "But save the questions for later, that shadow is the priority here."

Without another word, he dashed forward and summoned Moriarty again. "Eiha!"

Struck by another curse attack, the Archangel still somehow able to stay alive and charged, raising its sword into the air. Widening his eyes, the Victorian-looking thief threw his grappling gun to Swan.

"Get to high ground!" He shouted, firing a few bullets toward the shadow. "You're the only one who can heal everyone at the same time!"

Even though she was hesitant, but Swan still nodded in agreement. "D-don't die, don't you dare," She muttered, firing the grappling hook and pulled herself to the ledges on the ceiling.

Turning back to the shadow, Jester glanced at Joker for a moment. "This guy has resistance on what element?"

"As we could see, this shadow has no resistance on any element at all," Mona replied. "On the other hand, it also doesn't have any weakness as well."

"OK, then we have to brute force this guy..." He trailed off, and an annoyed grunt escaped his lips.

However, his stream of thought was cut short as the Archangel swung its sword toward them. Before he realized what he's doing, Jester found himself right in front of the blade, shielding Panther from the attack.

Clutching his eyes, Jester waited for the blow to come.

But it didn't come, and the sound of steel clashing to each other rang through the whole church. Opening his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of Le Pucelle blocking the sword for him.

"Is there something wrong with you?!" Swan shouted, aiming her sniper rifle at its head and pulled the trigger, emptying her magazine. "Cleave!"

Obeying her owner's command, Le Pucelle dematerialized her flag and gripped her sword with both hands. Then she knocked its sword aside and slashed, knocking it back for a visible distance.

"Eiha!"Smirked to himself, Jester summoned Moriarty and sent a wave of Curse energy to the Archangel. "Revolver Shot!"

"Zorro! Show your might!" Mona shouted, and Zorro sent a wave of wind toward it, finally defeated the shadow.

Once the battle was ended, Skull released a heavy pant as he grabbed his knees as support. "Didn't realize those things could be this tough..."

"Yeah," Mona nodded. "It looks like he's making a concerted effort to stop us now."

"Then we have to give our best as well," Joker commented, pulling his red gloves as he turned to Jester. "Also... thank you, and Swan."

"Nah, that's alright," Jester shrugged, adjusting his tophat. "But first, I'm sorry for that whole stunt before. It's my fault."

"We forgive you, Jester," Panther replied with a smile, but her expression quickly changed into a serious one. "But actually, there are some questions we wanted to ask you-"

"Let's just get to the point, who are you and Swan?" Skull interrupted her, crossing his arms. "It's not like we're gonna rat you out or anythin', we should work together to take Kamoshida down-"

"I'm sorry, but it's classified," Jester replied with a shake of his head, let the shadow created by his hat shielded his appearance. "Maybe we'll meet in the real world after this whole mess-"

Before he could even finish his words, more shadows suddenly emerged from nowhere and surrounded them. "Crap... More of 'em..." Skull grunted as the group faced the shadows in a circle.

"What should we do? Head back?" Panther asked.

"No, there must be some other way to get out from here!" Mona replied with a stern look, scanning the environment around them.

"Actually, there's no need to look for another way," Jester said, glancing at the ledges above them. "Swan's already there, and that means we can get there as well."

Widening their eyes in realization, the group looked at the statue before firing their own grappling hook, pulling them to the ledge above. However, the Victorian-looking thief only stared at them in pure shock for a second.

"Hey! Can't you guys give me a spare grappling hook-"

Thankfully, his ranting was cut short as a thin wire suddenly attached to his back and pulled him up to the ledges above. And the cold stare of Swan greeted him. "Idiot." She coldly said, sending a wave of shivers all over his body.

"U-um..."

"Whatever, let's keep going," She sighed, letting it slide for now as she tossed the grappling hook to him. "At least you're fine... That's enough for me."

With that said, the duo continued following the group in the shadows, and their infiltration toward the Treasure.

* * *

The infiltration went on well, and the group picked up something called 'Will Seed' along the way. Mona told them it's basically a distortion coalesce into actual items... but they were still confused.

Continuing their infiltration, they found a way toward the roof, and it was filled with shadows with menacing-looking shadows. "Well, we can't just fight them like this..." Joker murmured as they hid behind a nearby wall, using his Third Eyes to look for a way to the tower.

Thankfully, he could feel his hand glow as he noticed a spot to grapple himself to. "Stay close to me. We're gonna get across this place without alerting any guards." With that said, the thieves hopped from cover to cover, reaching a box that's close enough to reach the platform in the middle.

Grappling themselves to the platform, Joker noticed a pole nearby and grappled again, pulling them to the ledges on the wall of the tower. However, just as they were about to climb into an open window of the tower, they could hear a sound of grappling hook firing.

In an instant, the thieves could see Jester and Swan soaring through the air, reaching the opened window in no time. "Um... Can we do the same thin' as well?" Skull asked.

"Our grappling hook's range is too short to reach there," Mona replied, shaking his head. "We have to do this the old-fashion way."

* * *

Meanwhile, the duo dropped onto the room with a swift roll, opening the door and entered the tower. And they could see a purple tint to the atmosphere, the floor which looked like a checkerboard moved to different height individually.

"OK, this is really weird," Jester commented, glancing at Swan behind him.

"I just hope we can be done with this place already," Sighing, they rushed through the hallway of the tower, avoiding most of the shadows in the area.

However, they could notice a specific shadow with gold armor. "Let's see if he would give us any useful things..." Murmured to himself, the Victorian-looking thief fired his grappling hook and attached to the back of the shadow.

Pulling himself and landed on the back of the guard, he gripped on the edge of its mask and ripped it off. Then he quickly avoided a blast of energy with a backflip as an Eligor emerged.

"We can't just brute force our way out of this battle," Swan commented as she rushed to his side, an idea suddenly popped in her mind. "Jester, remember that we can hit for extra damage when they're asleep or brainwashed?"

"Of course," He nodded, summoning Moriarty. "Killing Joke!"

**(Killing Joke: Inflict Despair (high odds) to all foe, and doubled the Technical Damage.)**

The Persona laughed creepily in response, sending the shadow into Despair. Then he followed up with an Eiha, killing it instantly. Once the battle was ended, they were about to continue their infiltration when they noticed a lone orb on the ground.

Jester raised an eye in curiosity, picking the orb up and examined it. "It looked like an eye," He commented, pocketing the orb.

With a nod from Swan, the duo continued their infiltration. They encountered a lot more shadows and avoided them, only killing anyone with gold armor and picked up another orb. After a long while of battle and sneaking around, they reached an open room with two metal grates held up with large metal chains from the ceiling.

Not only that, to the side of the entrance was a small statue of Kamoshida, a large grin on his face. Raising an eyebrow, Jester started walking down into the room with Swan following him. But as a giant blade swinging down at where he is. He suddenly jumped back, narrowly dodged the blade.

"OK... That's REAL close..." He murmured, wiping the sweat on his forehead.

Swan glanced at the statue next to the door, narrowing her eyes. "That statue looked suspicious, maybe it has some mechanic or something like that?"

"Possibly," Sighing, Jester got up and was about to check on the statue when the door opened, revealing Joker and his team.

"Man, where the hell is that special enemie-" Skull stopped himself in mid-sentence, widening his eyes at the duo.

"Is there anywhere to stop those blades?" Jester asked with a deadpanned expression, gesturing at the statue.

"The chin is a lever," Joker answered, pulling the edge of his gloves. "but this statue is lacking its eyes, and we're looking for them."

"Eyes?" Swan asked, crossing her arms as she pondered. "Jester, remember the orbs we got earlier?"

"Orbs?" Skull asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "What do you mean?"

"She means these," The Victorian-looking thief took out the orbs from his pocket, showing it to them. "We killed some shadows with golden armor, and some of them dropped these."

"Wait! That's the eyes we're looking for!" Mona exclaimed, quickly grabbed the two orbs from his hand and inserted them into the statue.

"Let's hope this works," Joker said, pulling the chin of the statue. Thankfully, The swinging blade stopped.

"thank god..." Panther sighed with relief.

"Well... let's go, shall we?" Joker stated and crossed the huge open room.

They ran down the huge hallway in silence with the duo following the team. And they entered an empty hall that was filled with small Kamoshida statue on the dividers, parts of the floor having eroded away due to the distortion.

Seeing that there are no shadows at all, the group ran up the red stairs and defeated the long guard patrolling outside of a large white door. Noticing a saferoom at the end of the hallway, the group entered and sighed in relief.

They took a short break before continuing the infiltration, coming back to the door of the King's hall. Knowing that the door won't work, the thieves jumped on to the pillars which looked like a female body and climbed again onto the ledge. Jumping into the opening of the King's Hall, they found themselves in the balcony. Meanwhile, Kamoshida was talking to the soldiers below.

 _ **"How have you not captured the intruders yet?!"**_ Kamoshida yelled, glaring at his guards with immense anger.

A soldier dropped his head and begged for forgiveness, **_"I apologize, my liege!"_**

"I bet he'd never imagine we're in the same room as him. Come on, let's keep moving." Mona snickered, looking at Joker.

They snuck around the balcony without being seen by any of those soldiers or Kamoshida himself. After that, they reached a large stone room which was filled with gold. The ground wasn't even visible under those precious items like crowns, jewels or necklaces. And in the middle of it all was a white orb, glowing and wavering in place.

"Whoa, what is this place?! Holy shit!" Skull exclaimed, his wide eyes darting around to those treasures. "That Treasure thing's gotta be in here!"

"H-Hey, what is that?" Panther noticed the orb and asked, stepping closer to it. "It's... floating in the air."

Mona jumped up to the grail, grinning at the orb with confidence. "Hehe... That's the Treasure! We finally found it!"

"Are you sure 'bout that though?" Skull questioned, rubbing his head. "How can we steal this thingy?"

"Same for me." Joker nodded.

"The job isn't finished, right?" Jester added, crossing his arms.

"Right, and I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far," Mona said, crossing his arm. "Simply finding the Treasure isn't enough. We'll need to make it materialize before we can steal it."

"Materialized it..." Swan murmured, raising an eye in confusion.

"what?" Panther asked.

"Whaddya mean?" Skull added.

"It's because desire has no form by nature. Hence, we'll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure." Smirking, the cat-like thief continued his explaining. "Once they're conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself."

"So we need to let them know we're coming for their desire," Jester finished for him, nodding with a faint smile.

"So a calling card, right?" Joker said with a raised eyebrow, rubbing his chin. "That's probably what a Phantom Thief would do."

Mona nodded its head, equally excited. "Once we do that, the Treasure will appear!" Then a look of uncurtain suddenly took over the excited look before, "...I think."

Skull deflated and looked at Mona with a frown. "That again...?" He shook his head and cleared his thought. "Either way, sounds like it's worth givin' it a shot!"

The feline jumped in place and looked over at Joker. "Our infiltration route is secure. All that's left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!"

Before anyone could say anything, Jester and Swan started walking toward the door. "Wait!" Panther exclaimed, stopping them mid-track. "Where are you two going?"

"Back to the real world," The Victorian-looking thief replied, giving them a faint smile. "We'll know when you sent the calling card, don't worry about it."

With that said, the duo left the room, leaving the group alone in the treasure room.

"...They're weird," Joker commented, resting his hands in his pocket. "But how would they know that we've sent the calling card?"

"Maybe they're also Shujin's students, but that's public knowledge at this point," Mona shrugged, shaking his head. "But from what they've done, I don't think they're not trustworthy."

"Yeah, I'm with Mona," Skull nodded.

However, Panther's gaze still lingered on the door, the dots slowly connected in her mind. "Wait a minute everyone, do you have a feeling that we've met them before? I mean in the real world."

Joker nodded. "Now that you've mentioned it... they looked similar."

"Same with Joker," The ex-runner added, crossing his arms. "I've been havin' this feeling that they know who we are."

Panther looked down thoughtfully, before looking back at her teammates. "I don't know if it's possible or not... but..."

"What if we already knew them in the real world?"


	8. Before the Heist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating until now, my homework took the entire day for me and I'm finally free enough to post this chapter now. So... I'm really sorry about this.
> 
> By the way, the puppy's name is actually a reference of Cytus 2, not that it would change anything, just a little fun fact :)

[Evening, Aoyama-Itchome Station]

After securing the infiltration route, Akira escorted Shiho to the station before going off their own way. Knowing that once the calling card was sent, there's only one way out of this situation, he couldn't help but pinch his nosebridge. Why?

He was terrified. Scared that they would fail, they... he... Shiho would die by the hands of Kamoshida.

Before he could realize, Akira found himself in the quiet street of Yongen-Jaya again. Even though it's not late at night at all, but there were not that many people here. The music in his headphone only intensified the calm nature of the street.

-{Beneth the Mask} plays-

Walking down the street, he didn't want to go back to his apartment for the first time. Was it because of the feeling that Kamoshida would go down? Or that he and everyone could die? To be honest, he didn't know why either.

However, his train of thought was interrupted as he overheard some quiet purring nearby. Facing the direction of the purring, he found a lone puppy in a cardboard box, staring at him with puppy eyes. (Metaphorically)

"A puppy?" Arching an eyebrow, Akira kneeled down and examined the puppy. It had brown fur with a hint of white in it, and he noticed a note attached to the box.

It said, 'Her name is Paff, please take care of her.'

His eyes returned to the puppy, and he could hear her stomach groaning, followed by more purring from her. "Oh crap, she's hungry," Murmuring to himself, his eyes darted around for a place to get food for her.

And the first place which came to his mind is Leblanc.

"Let's hope Sakura-San would help me..." With that said, he picked up the cardboard box and dashed to the cafe.

* * *

[Leblanc]

Rushing through the door, Akira placed the cardboard box before Sojiro could even react. "Sakura-San, can you make something for her to eat? I'll pay for it."

Widening his eyes in surprise, the owner of the cafe stared at the cardboard box for a second, the cigarette in his hand almost dropped onto the ground. "U-uh... Something for a puppy? Now that's something."

"Y-yeah, please."

Sojiro pondered for a long moment, but he shrugged in the end. "You're gonna pay for it. And the puppy's eye is making me unable to resist it," With that said, he went into the kitchen, before coming back with a bowl of cooked meat and vegetables, all small enough for a puppy to eat.

"Here," He said, placing the bowl on the counter.

Nodding, Akira held the puppy and placed it on the counter, and it ate the food in front of it as if it had never eaten a meal before. And this surprised the two men here.

"So uh... Where did you find it?"

"Alleyway around the corner," Akira answered, resting his head in his palm as he watched the puppy eating. "She was abandoned by her old former owner, and I heard her purring."

"Poor puppy..." The older man sighed, his eyes darted between him and the puppy. "Judging from your tone, you're not gonna leave it alone, right?"

"She got nowhere to go," He said. "By the way, a puppy could make my apartment a tad-bit less quiet."

"Well, I don't really care about your decision, but take good care of it, okay?" Sojiro said with a surprisingly serious tone. "It was abandoned once, it should not be abandoned again."

"...That's odd from you, Sakura-San," Akira giggled, noting that the puppy finished eating the meal. "Anyway, how much is it? I'll pay double to compensate that it's too urgent-"

"I was kidding when I said you're gonna pay for it," Sojiro quickly replied with a shake of his head, picking the plate from the counter. "But if you really want to pay for it, take good care of... uh... what it's name?"

"From the note attached on it, she's called Paff," The amateur writer answered, holding the puppy and put her back into the boxes. "Anyway, I should get going by now."

However, before Akira could stand up from his chair, the doorbell from the front door rang. "We're back," Ren said, sighing tiredly before noticing Akira and Paff.

"Ichijou?"

"Oh, hey Amamiya," He smiled back, giving him a wave.

"You're back," Sojiro plained said, briefly glanced at him before returning to wipe the plate in his hand. "Akira, I think you should go home by now, it's late."

"Yeah, and I need to get pillows and stuff for her anyway," With that said, Akira picked up the cardboard box and exited the cafe, leaving Ren watching his back.

"He found a puppy from the alleyway, and crash into here to have some food for it," Sojiro explained, putting the cleaned plate in the drawer.

Ren only nodded, turning around and went to his room.

* * *

[22nd April]

Even though he expected it, but Akira couldn't help but sigh when he found that Ren still hadn't sent the calling card. On the positive side, at least he could upgrade their gear and bought some medicines for emergencies.

Staring at the window, his thought drifted into what would happen if Kamoshida really confessed everything. What would things play out after this? Sighing to himself again, Akira tore his gaze from the window to the lesson. "It's no use to think about it right now..."

Before he realized, the bell rang and announced the lunch. Picking up his own bento that he made this morning, Akira entered the canteen and sat down in a corner. Opening the cover and took out his chopstick, he was about to start eating when the voice of Kasumi suddenly rang beside him.

"Senpai, you can cook?" She asked, staring at the rice omelet laying in Akira's bento.

"I lived alone, it's a necessary skill," Akira shrugged, but still widened his eyes when the honor student placed her bento on the table. "...I don't know how, but I'm still surprised."

"Hmm? You mean the size of my bento?" Kasumi questioned, unwrapping the fabric cover and opened it. "Um... I'm more surprised that you would make your own bento, Senpai."

"As I said, it's a necessary skill," The amateur writer sighed, taking a bit into the omelet. "And rice omelet is the only dish I'm confident with."

"Why rice omelet specifically?"

"Well..." Trailing off, he stopped himself and reconsidered the choice of word carefully. "It's my... old friend's favorite dish, and I tried my best to make this the best one I could ever make."

"Friend..." Kasumi trailed off, a pained look filled her face before turning into a somber smile. "It must be hard to find someone to be your friend, Senpai."

"Yeah," Akira nodded, taking another bite to his bento. "But from your reaction, you don't have anyone, do you?"

"H-huh?"

"I heard some rumors about you," He somberly smiled, looking down on the rice omelet. "They are jealous of your status of an honor student... Sometimes, being the perfect person is a curse too."

"Y-you're right, Senpai," Kasumi faintly nodded. "But..."

"I know, I'm someone shrouded in rumors as well," Akira giggled, a sense of self-mocking lingered in his tone. "Anyway, my seat is always open to you. If you want to have someone to talk with, I'm here for you."

"S-senpai..." The honor student trailed off, a bright smile crept onto her face as she nodded. "Thank you... Uh..."

"Hmm? What's the matter?"

"We haven't properly introduced ourselves, and if we are going to meet again, I cannot just call you by 'senpai' only." She explained, the smile remained as she extended her hand. "I am Yoshizawa Kasumi, a first-year."

Sighing to himself with a faint smile, Akira took her hand and shook it. "Ichijou Akira, second-year."

However, his face suddenly changed into a stern look, leaning a bit closer to her. "Also, stay away from Kamoshida."

"Stay away from Mr. Kamoshida?" Kasumi blinked in confusion, an awkward smile crept onto her face as they released their hands from the handshake. "Why did everyone kept telling me this?"

"You've been told?"

"Yes, I remember it was a while back, and another senpai told me the same thing as well..."

"...Oh, at least there's someone else who- Oh, it's probably Amamiya." Widening his eyes in realization, the two decided to end their silence by returning into their lunch.

'If felt strange to have the famous 'honor student' as my friend' Akira thought as the returned their focus on their bento. Even though he thought there's only Shiho as his friend right now, but it still felt unreal that... there would be someone showing kindness and not judge him at first glance.

However, the thought quickly shifted into Kamoshida, and Akira frowned at the thought. Even though the calling card is the only roadblock between kicking that trash of a human being out from Shujin and to justice, but he couldn't help but fear the possibility that kamoshida would target Kasumi here.

She's a first-year, somewhat naive, perfect recipe of Kamoshida's victim.

"But we would definitely change his heart, for sure..." He murmured to himself, trying to shove those thoughts into the abyss.

However, he didn't saw a raised eyebrow from the first-year, nor the crimson eyes that were looking at him with curiosity.

* * *

[Afterschool, Takemi Medical Clinic]

Once the school had ended, Akira decided to pay a visit to Dr. Takemi. After all, he needed more medicines for emergencies, he couldn't risk Shiho and his life just to save money.

Of course, he still remembered the deal between them, and he was probably going to test out the medicine she was making.

"Let's hope the testing won't be too dangerous..." Murmuring to himself, he entered the clinic and greeted Takemi, who was filling in some form behind the receptionist table. "H-hi, Dr. Takemi."

Glancing up and noticed him, Takemi stopped what she was doing and greeted him with a tired look. "Oh, it's you, what is it?"

"I want to buy some medicines," Akira answered, playing with the fabric of his jacket as he hesitated to continue. "And we made a deal, right? Maybe it's time to test the medicine you're working on..."

"No need to be scared, Trial Rabbit," The doctor faintly smiled, pointing her pen to the blue door beside him. "Please enter the exam room, I'll be there in a minute."

Nodding, the amateur writer entered the exam room, and Takemi entered later. "Here, take your time," She said, giving him a form containing the list for the medicine.

Nodding, Akira took the form and picked the medicines for the infiltration and returned the form to the doctor. Taking a glance at the medicines he chose, Takemi raised an eye before walking into the curtain.

For a split second, Akira could see a machine with a biohazard symbol on it, and a... another lab coat hanging on a skeleton? Shaking his head to clear himself from those thoughts, his finger kept circling on his thigh as she returned.

"Here, this is the medicine you ordered," She said, handing him a paper bag with the medicine. However, Akira's eyes focused on a paper cup in her other hand, and the weird scent just made him more nervous.

"Um... Dr. Takemi?" He hesitantly asked, pointing at the cup. "That's the medicine?"

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"Nothing... I just imagined it to be like pills or something along those lines..."

"Oh, I didn't make it to pills because it's just a prototype," Takemi explained, pulling out a paper and clipped it to a board. "Just drink it and describe how you're feeling, it shouldn't knock you now this time."

"Knock me out?" Akira sweatdropped, taking the cup from the table. "W-what exactly happened the last time you tested it?"

"Well, guinea pig drank it at once and the taste knocked him out for an hour," She shrugged. "So don't follow his example and drink it at once."

"O-okay..." Trailing off, Akira gulped as he looked at the medicine in his hand. "Well, here's go nothing."

"Huh? Wait a minute, don't tell me-"

Before she could finish, the amateur writer took the drink at once. "...What the f-" Akira's rant was interrupted as the strong taste suddenly crept from the deepest part of his throat.

It tasted like dead fish, dead pig, dead... animal in general. And his head started to feel dizzy. Before anyone could react, darkness clouded his vision and he lost balance, the pain of hitting the ground followed.

_"Trail Rabbit! You're okay?!"_

The worried voice of Takemi was the only thing he heard before drifting off to somewhere else.

* * *

Blinking, Akira found himself back in his apartment, the sun shined bright from the window outside. _"Uh... My head..."_

 _"Oh! You're finally awake!"_ Suddenly the voice of a girl rang beside him, gaining his attention. _" I was so worried for you, __Akira-Chan_ _!"_

 _"C'mon, I just ate some chocolate, where's the problem?"_ The amateur writer grunted as he sat up on his couch, rubbing the back of his head. _"...Kimiko, don't tell me you-"_

 _"I...I think I bought some chocolate with alcohol in it,"_ Kimiko murmured, hanging her head down in shame. _"I'm sorry..."_

Sighing, Akira wiped a lone tear trailing on her cheek. _"It's okay, I don't blame you."_

 _"You're too kind, Akira-Chan..."_ Tailing off, more tears started to build up in her eyes, before finally breaking out as she wept loudly. _"I'm sorry! Muwaaaaaaa!"_

 _"K-Kimiko! I'm not mad at you!"_ Panicking, Akira frantically glanced around and reached for a box of tissue, wiping the leaking tears on her cheek. _"What should I do... C'mon Akira, think..."_

_"Muaaaaa!"_

_"...She's a real crybaby..."_ Sighing, the amateur writer internally hoped that it would work before bringing Kimiko into his arms, letting her head to bury into his chest. _"Here, crybaby... Look, I'm not mad at you because it's you, Okay? I won't be mad at you, ever."_

_"Akira-Chan..."_

Akira tried to say something, but he could only see that scenery around him started to glow in white, and slowly surrounded him. He tried to speak again, but nothing came out, and his surrounding glowed further.

* * *

"...Trial Rabbit? You're awake?"

Stirring, Akira struggled before opening his eyes, but the blinding light of a surgery lamp. "...W-what happened?" He asked, sitting up from the bed he was lying on. "My head hurt like shit..."

"You're out for twenty minutes, Trial Rabbit," Takemi said, writing something on the board in her hand. "So, can you tell me what exactly does it tasted like?"

"Uh..." Trailing off, the amateur writer rubbed his head as he recalled the taste of the medicine. "It tasted like dead fish, rotten peaches, mud... Basically, the worse taste I had in my entire life. But it was still somewhat tolerable."

"Tolerable?" Raising an eye, the doctor quickly wrote down more notes before asking again. "So, what made you fell into the unconscious?"

"I... I felt very dizzy, and my head felt like shaking in Mach 7..."

"So it's the dizziness this time..." Trailing off, Takemi wrote down more notes, mostly to ensure that she wouldn't put this much muscle relaxants. "Okay, don't rush it. Your body needs a few moments to readjust."

Nodding, Akira took a cup of water from her, feeling the dizziness in his brain slowly faded away. "I... feel a bit better now," Shaking his head to fully clear his mind from the dizziness, he left the bed and took the bag of medicines from the table.

"Just take some rest, Trial Rabbit," She faintly smiled, giving him a wave for goodbye. "I'll make sure that you won't be knocked out the next time, trust me."

"I'll try," Returning the smile, Akira opened the door and left.

Once the door clicked and she was alone, Takemi couldn't help but gave out a heavy sigh, looking at the note she wrote on the board. "Well, time to work."

Turning back to the worktable, a faint smile crept onto her face as she glanced at the photo on the table. Inside the plain plastic frame is a photo of three people in their early 20s, and they were smiling, as bright as the clear blue sky behind them.

In the middle of the trio was a young man with brown, short unkempt hair. A pair of dull square glasses and awkward smile only highlighted his dorkiness. On his left was a girl with deep crimson hair, leaning against his body as she wrapped her arms around his left arm. And on his right was Takemi herself, but instead of the dark blue hair she was now, she had deep brown hair and much heavier make-up, making a v-sign with her hand.

However, if look closely, Takemi's eyes were onto the young man. And it was filled with... conflicting emotions.

* * *

[About two hours earlier, Shujin's rooftop]

"So, what's this meeting for, Ren?" Ann asked, taking a sip of her chocolate milk. "Are we going to send the calling card?"

"Indeed," Ren nodded, his eyes glanced between Ann and Ryuji, who was sitting next to her. "I've been buying some medicine from Dr. Takemi, and some new weapon for Iwai-San."

With that said, he pulled out the new weapons he bought for them and placed them on the table. Widening their eyes, the two inspected their new weapons before putting them back to their schoolbags.

"Well, I can't wait to kick Kamoshida's ass," Ryuji smirked, pumping his fist.

"Me too, he needs to pay for what he has done," Ann nodded, a fire burnt bright inside her eyes. "But wait, who's going to write the calling card?"

"Ahh... right," Morgana sighed, glancing at Ren. "Ren, are you going to write it?"

"I have no personal beef with Kamoshida," The delinquent sighed, looking at the two in front of him. "Besides, I don't deserve to write it, Ryuji and Ann do."

"Then let me do it," Ryuji volunteered, his expression changed into a serious one. "If Ann writes the calling card, she would definitely mention Suzui, and Kamoshida might found out it's her..."

"I can't risk it," He finished, patting her on the shoulder with a small smile. "And don't worry, I'll try to make it as anonymous as possible."

"Well, Ryuji does have some kind of reason..." Morgana trailed off, shifting his focus to Ann. "Lady Ann, you're fine with this decision?"

Ann pondered for a moment before nodding, nudging his shoulder with her's. "Just don't disappoint us, Ryuji."

"Don't worry, it will the best effin' calling card in the history of calling card!" He exclaimed, giving the three a wide grin.

Morgana only sighed in response. "...And here's the Ryuji we knew."

"Don't be too hard on them, Morgana," Ren smiled, patting the cat's head. "Well, since there's nothing else to do here, let's call it a day then."

With a nod from everyone, they left the rooftop and the school together. However, they didn't notice a Kasumi watching them with a raised eye.

"...Did they just go to the rooftop? Why?" She murmured to herself, the memories of Akira's word surfaced in her mind. "...Everything is becoming weirder and weirder in this school..."

Sighing to herself, she continued on her way.

* * *

[23rd April, early morning]

Even though Akira expected this to happen, but he didn't expect Ren and his group would do it like this. In front of him was the school's notice board, but calling cards were covering the entire board.

Taking one of the calling cards from the board, the first thing he noticed was the logo on the back of the card. It was a face covered in a mask and a tophat, a wide grin on his face with the word 'Take Your Heart' under it.

"It gotta be Ryuji's work," Akira commented, shrugging as he turned around the card and read the letter.

_"Sir Kamoshida Suguru, the utter bastard of lust._

_We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready._

_From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts..."_

"Okay, it must be Ryuji's work," Sighing at the poor choice of word, the amateur writer took out his phone and texted Shiho. "Anyway, I need to tell her about it."

**Akira: Shiho, they sent the calling card.**

**Shiho: It took them longer than I expected, but meet up after school, right?**

**Akira: Yeah, just be there ASAP.**

**Shiho: You can count on me, Akira.**

**Akira: I know.**

However, Akira's focus was interrupted as Kamoshida walked up to the notice board "Who's responsible for this..?!" He yelled in rage, and his eyes laid on Akira. "Ichijou, you really have some gut here..."

Sighing again, Akira only returned his rage-filled gaze with an unimpressed look. "Oh please, I'm not that stupid to claim to be 'A Phantom Thief Heart'."

"You..." Raising his fist, the PE teacher was about to strike him when he noticed students were watching their exchange in shock. And he widened his eyes in return.

_"What is Mr. Kamoshida doing?"_

_"Is he about to hit Ichijou?"_

"I told you, don't accuse me to anything," The amateur writer said in a surprisingly low tone, glaring daggers at the teacher. "You already did it once, and now you're going to pay for it."

Knowing that it's no use to stay, Akira pocketed the calling card and walked away. However, he was interrupted as the voice of Kamoshida, or his shadow suddenly rang out to everyone who's aware of it.

_**"Come...Steal it, if you can!"** _

Watching it over his shoulder, Akira only quietly chuckled in response as he continued to walk.

"Let's do this."


	9. King's Fall

After the calling card had been sent, the whispers and murmurs were only about this situation. Sighing, Ren pinched his nosebridge as he struggled to focus on the class.

How could he pretend to be a normal student when he's going to steal someone's heart right after school? Especially when his life was on the line here, and the only person (or cat) didn't even know would it work or not.

 _'Thinking about this won't do anything, Amamiya Ren...'_ Shaking his head to clear the thought, Ren glanced at the cat hiding in his drawer. _'We need to have faith in Morgana...'_

Sighing, he decided to keep his gaze to the sky outside, and it almost calmed his mind and took him from the whole business. However, at the corner of his gaze, he noticed Akira staring at him, but his gaze seemed empty, out of focus.

For some reason, the face of Jester suddenly popped up in the delinquent's mind as he noticed Akira's stare. Widening his eyes for a split second, Ren shook his head again to clear the odd feeling. 'Why the hell did Jester popped up again...'

On the other hand, Akira continued texting with Shiho to put his mind off from the upcoming heist. Staring at the leader sitting right in front of him, his mind drifted into somewhere in no time.

 _'Should I command Shiho to stay behind and just snipe him?'_ He thought. _'Dammit, I overthink the situation again... I need to trust her, she's not someone who needs overprotection.'_

In the midst of those thoughts, time progressed much faster than they thought. Before they knew it, the bell rang, signaling the end of school.

* * *

[Kamoshida's palace, entrance]

-Life Will Change plays-

The atmosphere around the castle could only be described by 'tense', a reddish tint painted on the distorted sky, and the moon was visibly larger than before. Even though the sound of siren filling the scene, the thieves were weirdly calm.

Putting his phone back into his pocket, Joker stretched his arms before looking back to his teammates. "Let's go, our objective is the treasure." He said, pulling the edge of his gloves.

Teleporting to the saferoom next to the throne room, the thieves ran through the empty throne room with suspicion. But they still kept going, taking the huge crown from the treasure room.

However, Kamoshida suddenly appeared from nowhere and took the crown from them, smirking as the cognitive version of Ann clung to his side. _**"I won't let anyone take this!"**_

_**"This proves that I am the king of this castle- it is the core of this world!"** _

"That rat bastard..." Panter growled, releasing the tip of her whips and readied to fight. "That's how he sees me, isn't it?"

"Yo, pervert. Were you waitin' to ambush us?" Skull groaned in addition, narrowing his eyes at the doppelganger.

 _ **"I just made it easy to find you,"**_ The king's smirk widened. _**"I'll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now."**_

"Of course he's not going to let us finish it quick and simple..." Sighing, Joker pulled out his pistol and readied to fire at any time.

"That's our line, you sexually-harassin' d-bag!" Skull exclaimed, cocking his shotgun.

**_"What a selfish misunderstanding-"_ **

"Misunderstanding?!" Panther yelled, her anger was slipping through her tone. "They why did you have to hide them from others!"

 _ **"People around were the ones who kept it secret,"**_ Kamoshida chuckled, playing with the crown in his hand as if it's a volleyball. _ **"Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners-"**_

However, before he could finish his speech, a bullet suddenly gazed beside him, inches away from hitting his head. "There's some of the worse bullshit I've ever heard, Kamoshida," Joker murmured, shifting his aim at his temple. "You're just shifting blames."

 _ **"Shifting blames? It's how the world works!"**_ Yelling, the shadow king gripped the crown so hard, crack started to show on the gold frame. _**"You're all just naive brats! Including that girl who tried to kill herself!"**_

"Yeah, Shiho's an idiot..." Trailing off, Panther let go of the thong of her whip, tightening her grip on the handle. "Letting you manipulate her... letting her tried to commit suicide..."

"And I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that!" She yelled. "No one needs your permission to live their lives!"

 _ **"Drop that attitude, you mediocre peasants!"**_ Kamoshida's smirk turned into a frown, narrowing his eyes at the thieves. _**"There is no wrong in using my gifts for my gain!"**_

"That's some bull-effin'-shit, Kamoshida," Skull glared at the king, narrowing his gaze. "You're not a king, you're just an effin' demon!"

However, they didn't expect the shadow would start laughing manically, his feature started to distort. _**"I'm** **the one who rules this castle, I'M THE DEMON WHO RULE THIS WORLD!"**_

Before the thieves could react, a wave of shockwave suddenly exploded from the shadow, knocking everyone back. He laughed hysterically as red aura rushed and surrounded him, and the voice got more distorted as it intensified.

Using their hands to shield from the blowing wind, Joker pointed his pistol at the general direction and fired a few shots. However, none of them hit.

Once the blowing wind quieted down, the thieves were greeted by a giant demon with four arms, a wine glass, knife, crop whip, and a fork was in each hand. Not only that, but the size of the shadow also expanded into inhuman size. The ground shook as he slammed his hand on the ground, threatening thieves' ability to stay balanced.

"I guess the whole break-in to break-out plan is busted now," Morgana commented, holding his bandit sword as Zorro appeared behind him. "We're here for the treasure, let's go!"

Nodding, the mask disappeared as they summoned their Persona, relentlessly attacking the shadow with all they got. Slamming his crop whip, Kamoshida sent a wave of volleyball assault toward Skull, hitting him dead-square on the head.

"Ahh!" Yelping in pain, The ex-runner's face turned into a rage-filled look as he summoned Captain Kidd. "Lunge!"

The Pirate materialized behind him, crashing to the shadow with all its speed and stuffed his cannon arm at Kamoshida's chest, firing a new shot to its chest and exploded.

"Agi!" Following up, Panther laid her hand on her mask and summoned Carmen. The crimson dancer created two giant fireballs and shot them toward the shadow, creating more explosions.

However, once the smoke cleared and revealed a slightly injured Kamoshida, and it threw his golden fork toward the thieves in response, barely missing everyone.

"Silky!" Joker quickly summoned the woman in the red dress behind him, sending a burst of ice attack. However, it only hurt the shadow the same as the other attacks did. "Dammit, so he doesn't have any weakness or anything-"

Before he could even finish, Kamoshida suddenly extended it's tongue and whipped all over the room, knocking everyone down on the ground. _**"Naive Brats... now you see the difference between us?"**_

"Yeah..." Ryuji trailed off, getting up with slight limping on his right leg. "I see how you're a fuckin' creep, that's all!"

Healing everyone with a Media, Mona tightened his grip on the sword as he stood up. "We're not going to give it up this easily, right?"

"Of course..." Joker nodded, summoning Obariyon behind him.

* * *

On the other hand, on the entrance of Kamoshida's castle, Jester and Swan just arrived with a slight frown. The security level was high, just like how they expected.

"What took you this long, Jester?" Swan sighed, giving her partner a cold glare. "We should be in the throne room by now, but we-"

"Something happened, and it took me longer than unexpected..." Jester mumbled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Just forget 'bout it, we have more important business to do-"

"No, I'm not going to leave it alone," She glared again, but her gaze softened for a bit. "But you're right, we have a more important issue to deal with, let's go."

"...Right," Nodding, the duo took off and entered the castle.

* * *

Back to the thieves, the battle wasn't looking good for them. No matter how much attacks they did to it, the shadow would only heal itself with the 'contents' in the cup in front of it.

"Man, is he gonna keep healin' with that cup?" Skull grunted, pumping his shotgun. "Joker, we have to do somethin'!"

"I know!" The leader shouted in return, glancing around the room before landing back onto the cup, an idea quickly formed in his head. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?"

Pulling out his pistol from the holster, he pointed at the golden cup and narrowed his eyes. "Everyone, target the cup!"

With that said, Joker pulled the trigger and fired a bullet at the golden cup, creating a small, but a noticeable dent on the surface. And Kamoshdia gasped, _**"Hey! You don't know what this is worth, so stop touching it! Don't do it anymore, got it? I've warned you!"**_

"When someone tells us not to do something," Mona smirked at the response, Joker's small experimentation just paid off in a fantastic fashion. "It makes us want to do it even more!"

"And we're so going to do this!" Panther shouted, spraying her Tommy gun all over the golden cup, creating a few more dents and a lot more bullet holes. "And if guns are not enough... AGI!"

Right after Panther's fireball barrage, Kamoshida grunted in rage before extending his four arms toward the thieves. _**"You're going to pay for the damage you've done!"**_

"Dodge, everyone!" Joker shouted, and the four thieves instantly leaped away from the incoming attack. However, Skull's leg suddenly gave up and he collapsed, unable to carry on as one of the hand grabbed him and squeezed.

"Skull!" Widening her eyes as he yelled in pain, Panther didn't waste another second as she rushed toward Skull, sliding and avoiding as many attacks possible. "Don't you dare to hurt him!"

Meanwhile, Mona and Joker exchanged a glance before nodding to each other. Without any word, the pair dashed and emptied their range weapon onto the cup, gaining the shadow's attention. _**"Shitty BRAT!"**_ The distorted King yelled, swinging his knife desperately to protect the cup and unintentionally released his grip on Skull.

Quickening her pace, Panther jumped and fired her grappling hook. The hook attached to the wall nearby and pulled, sending herself into the air and caught Skull before he fell onto the ground.

The two fell onto the ground and rolled to aside, the Scarlet thief summoned Carmen and cast Dia, giving out a breath of relief as Skull's feature relaxed. "Skull, you're okay?"

"Yeah... Hurt likes a bitch, but a lot better now. Thanks, Panther..." Skull trailed off, standing up with a slight limp. "You're the one who gonna pay for it, Kamoshida! Captain Kidd!"

The pirate quickly materialized behind Skull before lunging forward, smashing the shadow right in the head and knocked it off balance. Taking this as her opportunity, Panther also summoned Carmen and sent off another barrage of fire at the unprotected cup as Mona and Joker released their Persona.

"Zorro, show your might! Garu!"

"Bicorn! Lunge!"

The black swordsman and the black horse attacked in unison, finally shattering the golden cup into smithereens. Recovered from the sudden attack, the King looked at the pieces before staring at the thieves with rage. _**"No way... This was from when I won the national..."**_

Without a word, the four Persona-users quickly rushed forward and surrounded him, aiming their guns at the king. **_"You think you can get away from doing such a thing? Do you realize who I am?!"_**

**_"I am Kamoshida! Don't you get it?!"_ **

"Yeah, we do," Joker deadpanned, tightening his grip on the pistol. "Not that we're going to care, so what?"

 ** _"Bullshit!"_** The shadow growled. _**"I am above everything in this castle!"**_

"You're the one who's spilling bullshit," The leader frowned.

**_"I am Kamoshida! I'm the king here!"_ **

"King... what a joke..." Trailing off, Skull smirked before quickly returning into a scowled face. "Now you're just a pathetic loser."

"We came all this way to steal your heart!" Panther added. "Will you just give it up and hand it over?"

_**"Silence! I won't let the likes of you have this!"** _

"You still have the energy to say things like that?!" Mona questioned, glancing at Joker beside him. "Then we're going to up our game as well!"

Nodding in return, Joker narrowed his gaze before commanding the thieves. "Let's do this! All-Out Attack!"

* * *

Back at Jester and Swan's side, they weren't able to teleport to the furthest saferoom and was forced to reach the throne room on foot. However, with the King busy fighting the other thieves, the duo encountered no guards on their way.

"And no one's here too, lucky," Jester smirked as he scanned the interior of the tower. Other than the scarlet tint on the room, there was not a single guard in the visible area.

"I won't call it lucky," Swan deadpanned, wasting no time and ran toward the stairs. "C'mon! We had wasted too much time just to get to the throne room!"

"Yeah..." Trailing off, the Victorian-looking thief quickly followed her and dashed. "So we can't teleport to the saferoom when Joker and his team are fighting the shadow, what kind of stupid logic is that..."

"Complaining won't do anything, you know," The thief in white sighed. "And now they're publicly fighting, do you think saferoom would work anymore?"

"I know," Jester sighed, adjusting his tophat. "It's just... tedious to go through the whole palace to get there-"

However, before he could finish his word, a large explosion suddenly rang through the whole place, causing the tower to shake violently. Struggling to keep their balance, the duo glanced at each other before dashing in full-speed. Whatever was happening in the throne room, it's not looking good right now.

* * *

Back in the throne room, rubbles and dust filled the space around the thieves as the shadow did its killshot. "Holy shit..." Trailing off, Joker coughed heavily as the dust cleared, revealing a disappointed Kamoshida.

 _ **"Tch... You're useless,"**_ The shadow said to the slave next to him, slamming his whip as he called a new slave. _**"Next!"**_

Before the thieves could realize, Mishima suddenly appeared from nowhere and rushed to its side with a volleyball. "I-I'm sorry, King Kamoshida! I-I have it right here!"

_**"Too slow, Mishima!" The distorted king shouted, slamming its fork to the ground. "Worthless chump!"  
** _

"Mishima?!" Skull yelped, using his club as his leg's support. "H-how..."

"Wait, what?!" Panther followed, widening her eyes in surprise. "Why's he here?"

"This piece of shit sees everyone as his slave, no wonder Mishima is one of them..." Joker trailed off, panting heavily as he tried to regain strength.

"This is just Kamoshida's cognitive version of him, don't worry," Mona reassured them, narrowing his eyes at the volleyball in Mishima's hand. "Everyone! Prepare for another super attack!"

Without a word, the thieves quickly guarded themselves against the attack. They didn't know if it would be enough to let them survive another shot, but it's now or nothing!

 _ **"Good, Mishima!"**_ Shadow Kamoshida commanded, slamming his whip again. _**"Now pass it to me! Don't tell me you can't even do something as simple as that!"**_

Hesitantly nodding, Mishima passed the ball to Kamoshida. And the shadow did another Gold Medal Spike, the ball slammed onto the ground and exploded, knocking everyone back and ruthlessly slammed onto the wall behind them.

Landing with a hard 'thud', Joker tried to get up but failed. "...D-dammit..." He murmured, staring at the shadow as it snickered at the scene in front of it.

"H-how are we going block another attack..." Mona trailed off, quickly summoning Zorro and heal everyone as fast as possible. "This is not good..."

 _ **"I know it... I can't go all-out with Mishima providing the backup."**_ The shadow slammed its whip again, and Mishima quickly ran away from the scene. _**"Next slave, get out here! Hurry up with my damn ball!"**_

Before the thieves could realize, a cognitive version of Shiho suddenly appeared from nowhere with a volleyball. The worst thing was that... she was wearing bunny-looking underwear, with highly-sexualized makeup and a pair of bunny ear.

"King Kamoshida, I've brought you your ball," the bunny girl said with an overly sweet tone, smirking slightly. "Ju~st like you asked."

 _ **"Now there's a good girl, Suzui,"**_ Kamoshida laughed. _**"Yeah, all women should obey like this! Ain't that right, sweetheart?"**_

"N-no... You've got to be kidding me!" Panther yelped, her eyes widened in horror and shock as she struggled to get up. "W-what's Shiho doing here..."

"That's not the real one, Panther!" Mona yelled, still trying her best to heal everyone up to an acceptable state. "Calm down!"

"I-I know... But it's just..."

"Even Suzui too..." Skull groaned, tightening his grip on his bat. "You've gone too far, you fuckin' piece of shit!"

"W-what are we going to do, Joker?" The feline asked, his hand unintentionally shivered as Kamoshida readied for a final kill shot. "We can't just try to guard ourselves, it's going to kill us nevertheless!"

"I hate to say it, but we have to target Suzui..."

"W-we're t-targeting Shiho?!" Panther yelped, looking at the leader with wide eyes. "I-I don't k-know if I could-"

"Then leave it to me, okay?" Skull cut her off, clutching his eyes shut as he tried to ignore the pain from his right leg. "I don't want to do this too, but... Dammit..."

"I don't know if I could do this as well..." He sighed, roughly shaking his head to try to clear his mind. "After hearing the story from Ichijou... it's just..."

"Guys! It's not the time to hesitate!" Mona yelled back, glaring at them. "Our life is on the line here!"

"I told you guys, I don't want to do this as well-" Before Joker could even finish, Kamoshida suddenly slammed his whip, and cognitive Shiho passed the ball with a small smirk.

_**"Let's end this, once and for all!"** _

"Dammit, it's too late..." trailing off, the leader turned to his teammates and shouted. "Guard!"

Shielding with their arms, the thieves waited for the kill shot to land and explode. Time seemed to slow down as they waited for the attack as the light started to cover their sight...

However, the explosion never struck them.

"J-Just in the fucking time..."

Peeking through from his hand, Joker looked and saw two figures standing in front of them, panting heavily as they took the blow for them. Even though the dust and rubble hid their feature from the thieves, but he already knew who they were. "...Jester? Swan?"

The figure on the right, Jester nodded in response. "Yeah, no shit... Sherlock..."

However, Swan's eyes only locked on her cognitive self standing beside the shadow. "...So this is how he sees me..." She murmured, tightening her grip on the whipsword. "No wonder... That's why I never saw her..."

"Swan? Don't tell me-"

Before he could finish, Swan took out her sniper rifle and shot her copy in the head, right between the eyes. Lowering her rifle, she sighed. "I'm sorry, I just had to do this."

"...Yeah, I can see why..." Trailing off, Jester turned around and glanced at Joker. "Are you guys going to stand here while Swan and I do all the work?"

"O-of course not!" Mona shuttered. "We need to get the crown from its head!"

"The crown... so that's the treasure," Nodding to himself, the Victorian-looking thief took out his grappling hook from the second holster. "But I don't think you can handle Kamoshida with a member missing..."

"Yeah, we're already in a tough battle," Mona nodded. "If we're like this in a full team, what would happen if we're only three people fighting-"

"Then I'll do it," Jester interrupted him, pulling out his grappling hook. "Swan, stay here and keep Kamoshida's attention away from me, okay?"

"Y-yeah," The thief in white hastily nodded.

"This also goes for all of you too," He said, turning around and faced the thieves. "I know we're not in good terms before, but I'm trusting you guys as well."

With that said, he fired his grappling hook into the ceiling above, pulling him into the air. Quickly snapped out from the slight shock, Joker glanced at Swan with an uncertain expression.

"You heard Jester, we have to keep Kamoshida's focus away from him," Pulling the charging handle of her rifle, Swan quickly fired a few rounds before dashing forward.

"...I guess there's no other way but to follow them," Sighing, Joker twisted his knife to hold it from the back of his hand. "Jack-O-Lantern! Agi!"

"Right... " Reaffirming his grip on the steel bat, Skull quickly followed and ran at full speed. "Jester, you better get this crown from him! Captain Kidd!"

"We have no choice but to put faith in him..." Panter trailed off, looking down at her whip for a moment before following them. "We have no choice but to follow you, right?"

On the other hand, Jester landed on the second floor with ease. However, a few shadows suddenly emerged from the ground, marching toward him. "You've gotta be kidding me..." He murmured, his scythe reappeared as he stared at them and took out his revolver. "So that's why we haven't encountered any guards on the way."

"Not that it could stop me."

Taking off at full speed, he leaped over a lone shadow before slashing it in half. "Moriarty! Eiha!" Summoning his Persona, he turned around and shot another shadow's mask while the Persona sent out a burst of Curse energy, shattering two shadow's masks and they dissolved into nothing.

Turning back at the other shadows, Jester continued his dash toward the crown with Moriarty following him. However, there are still too many shadows for him to handle alone. Being knocked onto the wall aside, he groaned as he limped slightly to get up.

"Goddammit, I guess I'm not going to finish this the easy way, right?"

Tightening his grip on his scythe, he Decided to dodge past as many shadows as possible, only using his revolver to stun the few shadows who were unavoidable. Seeing Kamoshida's crown in his grappling hook's range, he glanced at the wall opposite to it and smirked.

Without a word, he leaped onto the wall and dashed for a few steps before jumping off. Firing his grappling hook and attached to the giant crown, he smirked and pressed the trigger again, pulling himself toward the crown.

Releasing the hook and let the momentum carried him on, Jester kicked the crown off from the king's head. Firing the hook again at the ground near to the thieves, he pulled himself back to the thieves with a swift backflip.

 _ **"NOOO!"**_ Shadow Kamoshida screamed, dropping the glass cup as he panicked. _**"My... my precious..."**_

"Good, Kamoshida's shaken up!" Mona beamed.

"Well, here's our chance," Jester smirked, glancing over his shoulder at Joker. "It's your call, Joker."

"Right..." Pulling the edge of the crimson gloves, Joker readied his dagger and hardened his stare. "Everyone! Let's do this!"

"ALL-OUT ATTACK!"

Without a word, all six of them instantly dashed at full speed. Using the surrounding as leverages, they mercilessly struck Kamoshida in incredible speed, not even eyes could make out who's in the blur.

Landing with their backs facing the shadow, they snapped their fingers as Kamoshida's body exploded in black goo, signaling his defeat.

**"TAKE YOUR HEART!"**

Once the battle was finished, Skull was about to pick up the shrunk crown when the fallen king suddenly took it and ran. The thieves instantly followed him into the treasure room, where Kamoshida squirmed in fear, sweats filled all over his face.

"Nngh..." The King shivered as he looked for a way out. Unfortunately, the only way to escape was a bottomless fall from the balcony.

"What's wrong? Not running away?" Panther gritted, staring directly at his eyes as she approached. "Why don't you run? Aren't you a great athlete?"

 ** _"It's always been like this... All those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me...!"_** Kamoshida yelled, clutching the crown tightly in his embrace. **_"I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that?!"_**

"Now you're makin' excuses...?" Skull asked with disgust visible on his face. "We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours."

"Even if those 'goddamn hyenas' forced their expectation on you," Joker plainly stated, his hand hovered over his pistol. "That doesn't change the fact that you're a fucking pedophile."

"The game had already been set, Kamoshida," Jester said as he stared right into the king's eyes, spinning his revolver in his hand. "Just hand it over."

 ** _"Hrrgh..."_ **Kamoshidaonly grunted in frustration and fear, not even dare to move a bit.

"Scared?" Panther murmured as she stepped forward, a strangely calm look on her face. "Right now, you're seeing the same view that Shiho did. I'm sure she was scared too...except she had no choice but to jump..."

"..." Swan couldn't help but bit her lips, trying her best to keep her anger in check. However, she's failing to do so.

"What will you do? Will you jump?" The crimson thief asked, and the red dancer materialized behind her. "...Or would you rather die here?"

"Do you want to finish him off?" Mona asked, crossing his arms. "It's your call."

 ** _"No, please wait! I beg you...Just forgive meee!"_** Kamoshida begged, sweat overflowing as he squirmed further in fear.

"Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same. But you…" Panther said, clenching her hand tight, and two fireballs appeared in Carmen's hand. "You took everything from them!"

She yelled, firing a fireball at his direction. The fireball narrowly passed him and hit the ground, barely grazing his face.

Slumping, Kamoshida threw the crown to them as Joker caught the crown easily and examined it with a plain expression. _**"I accept defeat...You want this? Take it."**_

"Panther... You'll decide his fate." The leader said with a serious look.

 _ **"Go ahead and finish me off..."**_ The king whispered, clenching his eyes with a single tear running down his cheek. **_"You do that...and my real self will go down too..."_**

**_"You have that right since you've won…"_ **

Clenching her hand, Panther fired a large fireball to him. The others were shocked and yelled in surprise. The fireball hit the ground next to the king, only blowing his cape. He looked up slowly with wide-eyes, still in disbelief about how he was still in one piece.

"If his mind shuts down, he can't admit his crimes." Panther stated as she recalled Carmen, the red mask appeared back on her face.

"You're kind, Lady Panther..." Mona trailed off, smiling at her choices. However, they were surprised by a sudden voice behind them.

"He may have the chance from Panther, but not from me,"

With a cold glare, Swan stepped right in front of Kamoshida, her whipsword drawn and readied to strike. "This garbage of human being doesn't deserve any forgiveness."

Widening his eyes, Jester instantly ran forward toward her. "Wait a second, don't do it Swan!"

 _ **"N-no! Please don't do it!"**_ Kamoshida screamed in despair, frantically shaking his head. _**"Please! I've admitted that I'm lost!"**_

"You know, you admitting that you're lost..." She trailed off, raising her foot as high as possible. "...Is not enough for me."

Without a word, she kicked the spot between Kamoshida's leg as hard as possible, enjoying the scream of the king. "This is for what you've done to me," She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. "And this is for what you've done to Akashi and Akira!"

Raising her boot again, she mercilessly stomped on his private area again. Then again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

As the pained scream filled the entirety of the throne room, Swan finally stopped her assault and coldly watched Kamoshida squirming in pain and fear. A satisfied smirk crept onto her face, only hid behind the edge of her mask.

"Holy shit..." Skull gasped, widening his eyes at Swan's act of rage. "That was effin' brutal..."

"Ouch..." Joker coughed, uncomfortably moving his legs. "That was really painful to watch..."

"Swan..." Jester trailed off, unable to find anything to say.

"...I'm not killing him, don't worry about it," Swan clutched her fists before walking back to his side, her voice was faintly cracking. "N-now I don't want to see his square face in my life anymore, let's go."

Sighing, the Victorian-looking thief glanced at the thieves."...I guess we'll leave the rest up to you guys, we're just crashing the party... or the heist... whatever."

With that said, the duo left the throne room before the thieves could react, and they returned into the real world with a grim look.

* * *

[Aoyama-Itchome, alleyway]

_**"You've returned to the real world, good work."** _

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Akira glanced at Shiho beside him. Even though most of her feature was mostly hidden by the shadows, but he could see that her body was shivering.

"...I..." She choked, burying her head into her palms. "...W-we finally did it..."

Biting his inner lips, Akira hesitantly patted and caressed her head. What could he say? "Yeah, we did it... all of us," He murmured, a faint smile crept on his face as he watched the sky above.

Even though there's only a glimpse of the sky, but it was clearly sunsetting.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else to take a breather," He suggested, removing his hand and gave her tissue to wipe her eyes. "Besides, maybe the sunset would look great."

Shiho didn't respond, just nodded.

With nothing said in between, the two walked to the station in somewhat comfortable silence. Even though they didn't know what would happen afterward, but Akira convinced himself that he needed to believe them. He glanced at Shiho beside her, her eyes were clearly reddened from the crying, but the old gloomy look was gone.

'Right, everything would definitely be better, at least she is,' He thought, the memories of Kimiko suddenly surfaced in his mind. 'But... if Kimiko is still alive...'

"But thinking about the possibilities is pointless, Akira..."

Noting his sudden mumbling to himself, Shiho gave him a confused look. "Akira? What are you talking about?"

"...Nothing," He answered, shaking his head. "Just something-"

"It's Akashi, right?" She interrupted him, stopping as they reached the station. "If she didn't commit suicide, how would she react to this..."

"You're half-right," Akira admitted with a nod, giving a long sigh as he remembered. "But there are Naoko and Shinji too... When Kamoshida gives himself in..."

"You want to tell them?" Shiho asked.

"I can't, even if I want to," He answered, shaking his head again. "They're now both in Kosei, Naoko still hates me to the guts, and Shinji... he's probably the same as well."

"But nothing would stay the same forever, Akira," She sighed. "Just... maybe their attitude would change. After all, it's been a while now."

"...Yeah."

With that said, they continued the way to the park. Now the battle was finished, and Kamoshida's heart was supposedly changed...

They were nervous, nervous of what to come. But... there's nothing they could do.

And now, the waiting began.

(To Be Continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... yeah, I did change the battle on top of how Royal changed it. I've read a lot of P5 fanfic while writing this chapter, and reading the same boss fight over and over again is really boring. So here's some more original attacks and changes to shake things up!
> 
> Anyway, the confession won't happen in the next chapter, and since we're finally caught up on the FFN version, so chapter 11 might have to wait for a few days to come out.
> 
> But I hope that you like the story so far, comments are welcome!


	10. The Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... first, we're finally caught up with the FFN version of Another Thief, so the next chapter won't be out tomorrow.
> 
> But don't worry, the next chapter is coming along! So it might be a day or two from Chapter 11. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you like the story so far, comments are welcome! :)

[Evening, Akira's apartment.]

After staying in the park together for a few hours, the two decided to go back to their respective homes. Putting his schoolbag on the couch, Akira smiled as he heard the lovely purring of Paff.

"I'm home, Paff-Chan!" He smiled as the small puppy jumped onto him and started licking. "Haha... You really missed me, right?"

Laughing, Akira could forget about Kamoshida for a second, even just for a split second. The two played for a while longer before he remembered that he needed to call Mitsuru for their weekly video call. Sighing, he had to put Paff down and entered his room.

Turning on his laptop, he opened his video call and faced a worried-looking Mitsuru. "...Um... What's with that look, Mitsuru?" He asked with an awkward grin. "It's not like I'm dead or threatened to be expelled-"

 _"No, I'm just concerned,"_ His cousin cut him off with a serious tone, promptly shutting him off. _"It's been... a little more than half a year since Akashi..."_

"You don't need to remind me..." Akira trailed off, resting his head in his palm. "...I still miss her, Mitsuru."

_"I know how you feel, it's just like what happened with... him."_

"Right, Minato-San... We all miss him, after all these years," He sighed. "Speaking of him, I'm sorry that I didn't come for the anniversary..."

 _"You can visit him anytime, Akira,"_ Mitsuru leaned back into her couch, brushing her bangs aside. _"It's not like Port Island is a that far from Tokyo..."_

_"This aside, Yamagishi told me that she missed you, maybe you should visit her shop when you have times,"_

"Ah right, I should visit her again..." Trailing off, Akira struggled to find anything to talk about when he felt something curling against his leg. "Hmm? Paff, you want to talk with Mitsuru too?"

_"Paff?"_

"Oh, it's an abandoned puppy I found a few days ago," He answered, picking the puppy up and showed it to the camera. "Paff, this is Mitsuru, my older cousin. Say hi!"

Before she could react, Akira suddenly changed his voice to an overly sweet tone and high pitch, holding the puppy's tiny legs and waved to the camera. "Hi! I am Paff the puppy, nice to meet you~"

Even though surprised by his sudden change of voice pitch, Mitsuru couldn't help but chuckle. _"...Well, nice to meet you, Paff."_

The puppy purred happily and licked Akira's finger, earning a shy laugh from him. "Paff, it's ticklish!"

Mitsuru smiled at his sudden laugh, brushing her bangs aside. _"...It's been a while since I heard your laugh, Akira."_

"Huh? Well, something... positive happened today."

 _"Something positive... good for you,"_ The president of Kirijo Group nodded, noticing her room's door opening. _"Kikuno? What happened?"_

 _"It's nothing, Mitsuru-Sama,"_ **Saikawa Kikuno** , Mitsuru's personal attendance and her childhood friend replied, closing the door behind her. _"...Oh, am I interrupting your call with Akira-Kun?"_

_"No, you can join in too, Kikuno."_

_"Um... I have other business to attend, so I can not be here for too long,"_ Shrugging, Kikuno leaned over the couch and waved at the camera. _"Long time no see, Akira-Kun."_

"The same goes to you as well, Kikuno-San," Akira waved back, holding Paff's tiny legs and waved at the camera as he changed the pitch again. "Nice to meet you, Kikuno-San! I am Paff the puppy!"

The personal maid of Mitsuru giggled at Akira's action, holding a hand over her mouth. _"...It's so refreshing to see you being like this, Akira-Kun."_

Akira pouted and lowered his head, lowering Paff's leg as well. "Aww, Kikuno-San is ignoring me for my stupid owner..."

This time, both Mitsuru and Kikuno laughed softly, taking a short while before recovering to their usual calm self. _"Okay, this is going to be someone I couldn't unsee if this kept going,"_ The president of Kirijo Group sighed, shaking her head before looking back to the camera. _"Anyway, I hope you'll be fine..."_

"Huh?" Raising an eye from her word, Akira put Paff on the ground and let the puppy continue on his business. "Well, to be honest, I don't have too many things happened for this week..."

'Other than I just fought with a monster form of Kamoshida, yeah, nothing really happened.' He added in his mind.

 _"The same goes for me too,"_ She nodded, glancing at the clock on the laptop. _"Well, I think we should end it here, I hope you would have a good week, Akira."_

"Yeah, me too,"

With that said, Akira ended the call and gave a heavy sigh, leaning back into his chair and stared at the ceiling. And the memories of what happened earlier today started to surface in his mind...

* * *

[Earlier today, the hallway of Shujin's second floor]

Right after Ren and Ann left the classroom and went to their hideout, Akira quickly packed his bag and ran to the front gate at full speed. However, he was stopped as he almost bumped into someone around the corner.

Stopping right before crashing with that person, he took a few split seconds before realizing who that person was.

Nijima Makoto.

Widening her eyes before tearing the glance away, Makoto awkwardly looked away. "O-oh, it's you, Ichijou."

"Nijima," He murmured coldly, pitching his nosebridge to keep his emotion from overflowing. "...Just, today's not the day, okay?"

"...Huh? I'm only passing by-"

"I mean don't ask me anything about Shinji, I haven't talked with him for over a half a year now," He said, taking a step back as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "And no, he's not coming back, just get over it."

"Ichijou, you know I'm trying to-"

"Then why didn't you do anything about Kamoshida?" He interrupted her, giving her a rage-filled glare. "You're the Student Council President, don't tell me you're just going to follow the teacher's order and turn a blind eye."

"Wha- I'm not turning a blind, Ichijou," She mumbled to herself, clutching her arm with her hand. "It's just... everything just... I just feel tired-"

"Oh, you're 'tired'? Tired from thinking about how things would be if Shinji's still here?" Akira cut her off again, intensifying his glare at her. "Kimiko died because of Kamoshida, and Shiho almost followed the same path as her. And you're just 'tired' from doing anything."

"...Do you know you're just putting an excuse, Nijima?" He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to hold himself from snapping. "For god sake, just do something useful in your life."

Even though he knew that he was stepping the line here, but the amateur writer couldn't help but said those words. In return, Makoto only stared at him with wide eyes, before clutching them shut. "...You're right, I'm not useful at all, to anyone," Murmuring to herself, she quickly walked away without a word.

Akira didn't bother to look back at Makoto, and continued on his way to meet Shiho. After all, there was a more important business in play here.

* * *

Blinking, the amateur writer found himself back in his room again, darkness filled the entire space as he didn't bother to turn on the light. Now everything seemed to back on track (if there's even one to begin with), he couldn't help but cringe at his attitude toward Makoto.

"Why the hell did I imply that she's useless?" He asked out loud, more to himself than to anyone. "...You should know how she saw herself, why would you even dare to stomp another foot to her?"

However, he knew that her problem would only worsen if things keep going on like this. "...Should I tell Shinji that Makoto is basically in depression because of him leaving?"

Staying silent for a while, as if waiting for any answer, Akira sighed and pinched his nosebridge. "Probably not... He's probably moved on in Kosei anyway, I shouldn't hurt him by appearing in his life again."

Standing up from his chair, he was about to move to his kitchen when his head suddenly exploded in pain. "AHH!" Clutching his eyes, the amateur writer collapsed onto the floor.

Before he could realize, images suddenly flashed in front of his eyes.

_"...Why? We didn't kill the shadow, right? Why would he just die at the conference?!"_

_"I... Why? Why father? Keigo, did we do something wrong?"_

_"It's Haru's father we're talking about! Ren!"_

_"Wha-"_

_"Not me."_

_"What the hell are you talking about?"_

_"Just... I should've seen it coming, it's my fault that he died. You guys are just... crashing along the ride with me... straight to a cliff."_

_"W-what do you mean?"_

_"I... I shouldn't let you guys involved with this shit, especially you."_

_"H-Huh?"_

_"That's it, just... leave the business to me. Just... forget about everything and this life, okay? I'll take full responsibility for everything."_

_"What in the world are you talking about? Mitsuru didn't send me here to see you like this-"_

_"But nothing is in our control now! I saw too many things before it happened, but no, it just stops working for this fucking time!"_

_"...I'm sorry for snapping... it's just..."_

_"I guess this would be our last meeting, see you... never-"_

"AHH!" Opening his eyes wide, Akira found himself back in the room again, still the same as thirty seconds before. "...W-what the hell is that?"

Pushing himself off from the ground, he quickly shook his head and cleared himself from those odd images. Using the walls as support, he walked over to the kitchen and grabbed some instant noodles from a plastic bag.

Today was just rollercoaster, and it sucks.

* * *

[ **25th April** , Morning, Shujin]

Kamoshida didn't come to school today.

Yes, it did ease Akira and the thieves' heart for a bit, but it's making them anxious for what to come. What if Kamoshida came back and was still the same as ever, or would he just die in his home?

Shuddering at the final though, Ren quickly shook his head to toss the thought into the void. "Just believe in yourself, Amamiya Ren," Murmuring, he could notice Morgana's worried glances at him.

"Morgana?"

"You look anxious, Ren," The feline sighed, hanging his head low and curled further into the drawer. "Nervous for the change of heart?"

"...I don't know if we did the right thing or not in the palace."

"We did, I believe that we did..."

"Yeah..." Ren trailed off, resting his elbow on the table as he closed his eyes in thought. "But... I want to discuss something with Ryuji and Ann."

"Ren, I'm literally sitting in front of you," Ann deadpanned, glancing behind and sighed. "So lunchtime, in our hideout?"

"Yeah," He nodded, pulling out his phone and texted Ryuji about their meeting as well. "Now we have some time to recollect ourselves... There's something that keeps bugging in my min-"

"AMAMIYA, HOW DARE YOU TALKING IN MY LECTURE!"

Shivered from Mr. Ushimaru's yelling, Ren didn't have any time to react as a white chalk hit his forehead like a bullet. Caressing the reddened spot in his forehead, he hastily apologized with a nod. Sighing, the two decided to drop the topic until the meeting.

Meanwhile, internally thanking Ren that he was shielding him from Mr. Ushimaru's wraith, Akira returned his gaze at his phone he hid in the drawer. Smiling at the text Shiho sent him.

**Shiho: So, now we have about a week before... you know, the DAY.**

**Shiho: Maybe we should go somewhere after school?**

**Akira: Oh, a date?**

**Shiho: In your dream :P**

**Akira: Ahh, I'm critically wounded...**

**Shiho: No you're not, it's too dramatic to be believable XD**

**Akira: Anyway, what about Ann? I think you two haven't talked for a while now.**

**Shiho: Don't worry, we've actually texted each other a lot in the nights. And she knew I'm coming back on the 2nd too.**

**Akira: Oh, speaking of the 2nd. It's really weird for you to return the day before Golden Week.**

**Shiho: Right! I forgot about Golden Week!**

**Akira: I guessed so.**

**Shiho: Any plan during the week?**

**Akira: Well, Yu-San and Nanako-Chan are coming from Inaba. So I'll probably be accompanying them for the entire week.**

**Akira: ...And I have somethings to deal with on the 5th too.**

**Shiho: ...Oh, okay then.**

**Akira: I'm sorry, I'll make up for it later.**

**Shiho: You promised, now get back to your lesson, Akira.**

**Akira: Okay, okay, I'll do it, mom.**

Sighing, Akira put his phone back in his pocket before meeting with Mr. Ushimaru's death glare. "Ichijou, you're lucky that this is my last chalk, and I don't want to waste it on someone like you," He coldly said, sending chills down his spine.

"Y-yes, Mr. Ushimaru," Shivering, the amateur writer nodded and scrambled to his notes. Unironically, he could felt a few years of his lifespan literally left his body and into the abyss.

* * *

[Lunchtime, Rooftop]

Once lunchtime arrived and texting Ryuji to come, the thieves quickly gathered to talk about something (It was mostly Ren's suggestion)

"Yo, Ren, Ann!" Bringing a few sandwiches and juices for them, Ryuji grinned as he opened the door toward the rooftop. "So, why are we all here?"

"Thanks, Ryuji," Ren smiled in return, taking a sandwich a box of apple juice from his hands. "So, I called everyone here because I wanted to talk about something."

"You said that already," Ann deadpanned, taking another sandwich from Ryuji's hand too. "Just get into the point, okay?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm getting to the point right now," Shrugging, the delinquent lifted his glasses and took a bite of the sandwich. "It's about Jester and Swan."

"Oh, them," The ex-runner sighed, leaning against the wall behind him. "They just showed up from nowhere and... help us?"

"Yeah, especially Swan... I don't think she talked a lot too," Morgana added, resting in the school bag. "Before the battle, she kinda acts like a background character."

"Speaking of Swan... she just felt... similar," Ann said, crossing her arms as she pondered. "She felt like someone I knew..."

"Now you've mentioned it, Swan did look very familiar..." Ren trailed off, the memories of a certain volleyball player suddenly surfaced in his mind. "What if... it's Shiho herself?"

"Swan bein' Suzui? For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed in surprise, coughing heavily as the sour milk stuck in his throat. "But.. lookin' back... Swan looks a lot like Suzui..."

"And that would explain why she didn't talk a lot," The leader nodded, lifting his glasses. "If she talked too much, we would instantly recognize her, especially Ann."

However, Ann only shook her head in denial. "No, it's impossible that Shiho is Swan. There's no way that she would be this... vulgar and violent."

"...Right," Ren nodded again in agreement. "Even though I only have a few moments with her, but she never felt like someone who would even fight..."

"Yeah, I felt the same too," The ex-runner nodded, leaning back against the table. "It's just so out of character for her."

"Especially that kicking and stomping after the battle..." He murmured, shivering at the memories of what Swan did. "Even now my nut felt phantom pain from that..."

"Ryuji, you don't need to say it out loud," Ann deadpanned, stopping her drink for a second. "Great, now you've burnt the image in my head..."

"Ryuji, you're really..." Morgana trailed off, lowering his head and sighed. "I don't even know what to say anymore."

"Wha-"

"As a member of the same sex, I understand you on an emotional level," Ren smirked, knowing that his next word would be a straight roast. "But no, I can't relate to you on an intelligent level."

"Renren! Why!"

"'Cause I want to," He shrugged, widening his smirk as Ryuji's hope and dream basically visibly shattered right in front of them.

"Dammit, I HATE BOTH OF YOU!"

"No you don't," Ren shrugged, glancing at Ann at the corner of his eyes. "Ann, you would never hate him, right?"

"What?! Why you're dragging me into it?!" The model exclaimed, her cheeks flushed in a deep shade of crimson. "And no! I'm not going to take the bait!"

"Well, you acting like this IS taking the bait," The delinquent chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. "Ryuji, see? Ann won't ever hate you~"

"REN!" Ann exclaimed again, burying her face in her palms. "I-it's embarrassing!"

Ryuji just looked away from her faces, mumbling about how to get revenge from Ren as he blushed deeply. Meanwhile, Ren just giggled at their reaction, nearly choking with his own drinks.

"Lady Ann..." Morgana trailed off, his eyes kept switching between Ann and Ryuji. "Wait, we're sidetracking! We're here to talk about Swan and Jester, not... this!"

"Morgana, I think we've gone off the rail and crashed to an entirely different place now..." Ren answered, playfully patted his head. "But hey, this is much more interesting to watch."

"I should've called you 'Jester' when we're deciding our codename... I really should..."

* * *

[Afterschool, frontgate]

Once the bell rang and announced the end of school, Akira stretched as he walked down the stairs. Now all of them could only wait, there was really nothing they could do. Maybe he could test the medicine again at Takemi's clinic... it had been a while since their last session.

However, an unfamiliar voice stopped him in his track.

"Excuse me, are you Ichijou Akira?"

Taking a moment to realize what just happened, Akira blinked for few times before nodding. "Yes, it's me."

It was Hinaki who was standing right in front of him.

She smiled at his response, taking a few steps closer and held out a hand. "I am Higashikuni Hinaki, the Student Council president of Kosei High School."

"..." Akira was dumbfounded to say at least, widening his eyes in disbelief. Why? Why would the Student Council president of Kosei out of everyone had an interest in him? No, the fact that ANYONE would be willing to meet him was weird.

"N-nice to meet you, Higashikuni-San." Awkwardly coughed, the amateur writer took her hand into a handshake.

However, their focus was drifted into the whispers and murmur around them.

_"Wait a sec, the student council president of Kosei is looking for Ichijou?!"_

_"The plot thickens..."_

_"She was cute though, maybe she's interested in him?"_

"Of course the Rumor Mill starts blowing as soon as I make a breath..." Hinaki sighed, glancing at the school building and narrowed her gaze. "A school that cares more about reputation than students... What a disgrace of an academy."

"U-uh... Higashikuni-San?" Akira shuttered, quickly releasing her hand and coughed awkwardly. "I know it's kinda awkward... but why did you come here and find me?"

"Oh, I apologize for gazing off, I just... have some opinion of this academy," Quickly smiled, the student council president lifted her glasses as her eyes scanned him. "You're just as polite as Izumo-Kun mentioned... such a shame that you had to go through all those events..."

"Izumo? You mean Shinji?"

"Indeed, even though he didn't ask me to come, but I came here because of his situation," Sighing, Hinaki smiled soberly at the mention of Shinji. "Ever since his transfer to Kosei, his mental health... no, his entire body had psychologically worsened as time goes on."

"Shinji..." Trailing off, Akira uncomfortably moved his headphone who was hanging around his neck. "So... what can I do about it? I mean... we haven't been talking for about half a year now..."

"To be honest, I know it's coming from nowhere..."

"But actually, I would like to invite you to be a student of Kosei High School."

Akira was... completely speechless at her sudden request. If today hadn't been a weird already, this just turned the entire day 180 and turned it 180 again. "U-uh... Excuse me? D-did I heard that right?"

"Yes, you didn't hear that wrong," Hinaki nodded, lifting her glasses again. "I think maybe... you being a Kosei student would help Izumo-Kun recover, mentally."

Pondering, the amateur writer stayed silent for an entire minute. Yes, he could take the offer and transfer to Kosei, and then he would have a second plan if Kamoshida's change of heart failed. However... there was still Shiho, he couldn't just leave her alone with Kamoshida. He had tried to sexual assault (and this was an understatement) her if not for him coming in...

Sighing, Akira took a few breaths before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but no. I can't take this offer."

Nodding, Hinaki pondered and looked down on the ground for a second and met his gaze. "Why? This academy is-"

"I know what it means, Higashikuni-San," Akira interrupted her, a long and heavy sigh escaped his mouth as he turned around and gazed at Shujin. "To be honest, if you asked me a month earlier, I would definitely take this offer."

"However, now I have... at least a certain someone that I need to protect."

"A certain someone..." Hinaki trailed off, sighing and nodded. "I respect your choice, Ichijou-San. But the offer is still open for you. In case if you change your mind."

With that said, she left the front gate with a polite bow. However, Akira just stared at the spot the student council president stood on, staying silent for a while before giving out a long sigh. "...Shinji, what the hell had you got yourself into..."

Shaking his head, he left the school and continued on his original plan of testing the medicine for Tae. But a few steps behind him, Makoto stood there with widened eyes, her grip on her schoolbag tightened to a point where it started to tear.

Clutching her eyes and tried her best to keep her emotion in check, she quickly shook her head and went on her way. Quickening her pace, she reached the station before she realized, and a droplet of tear trailed along her cheek.

It's just... too much for her, Shinji already left her along in this joke of a school... And now the Student Council president of Kosei wanted to take the only tie left between her and Shinji...

"Why..." Frustrated for her inability, Makoto could only murmur to herself, tears started to overflow from her eyes.

* * *

[Meanwhile, Kosei High School]

Staying behind to study for the upcoming exam, Shinji tried to keep every distracting emotion and stuff from interrupting his session. Today just felt weird for him, but he didn't know why.

To be honest, the exam was about a month away at least, but he just had nothing to do. Would he try picking up the sticks and started drumming again? No, that would only bring up those painful memories of them...

[A years ago, Big Bang Burger]

 _"Hey, how about we form a band?"_ Kimiko asked with a bright smile, taking a bite of her burger as she glanced between Shinji and Akira. _"I'm confident in my singing skill, so don't worry about the main singer!"_

 _"Uh... this came out from nowhere, Kimiko,"_ Akira awkwardly smiled, his eyes landed on Shinji as if he's begging for help. _"Besides, I'm not good with my guitar-"_

 _"And I'll pass,"_ Shinji deadpanned, _"I started to play drum because I want to join a Jazz band, not a rock band or anything-"_

 _"But c'mon! It would be extremely fun!"_ The ex-captain of the volleyball team pouted, using her best puppy eyes to persuade them. _"Have you watched K-on? It look so fun to form a band together!"_

 _"First, a band is much more than just fun, okay?"_ Akira argued, giving out a heavy sigh and leaned back. _"Second, you watched K-on because Naoko basically forced you to watch it."_

 _"Well, she like watching yuri stuff..."_ Kimiko trailed off, resting her head in her palms. _"But pleeeeease~ Let's just form a band together!"_

Back to the present, Shinji quickly shook his head to clear himself from those memories. However, the whispers from students around him overtook his attention.

_"Wait, Higashikuni-Senpai just went to Shujin? Ain't she the number 1 person who hates that school?"_

_"I don't know, maybe it's like that time half a year ago..."_

_"I always had a weird feeling about that school, especially those rumors about Kamoshida..."_

"Shujin?" The drummer murmured in confusion, looking up from his material. "Why would the president just... go there?"

_"Wait a sec, you mean that Higashikuni-Senpai is looking for someone else to transfer to here?!"_

"Transfer...?"

Even though he didn't want to admit it, but... what if Hinaki was looking for Akira?

Shaking his head, Shinji quickly cleaned his head again and focus on his material.


	11. End of Tyrant

[ **26th** **April** , Shujin]

Kasumi could feel there was something wrong with Ichijou-Senpai. Ever since that mysterious calling card from 'The Phantom Thief of Heart', Mr. Kamoshida had been absent from school, and it felt really... really weird.

But back to Ichijou-Senpai, just like how Kamoshida suddenly absented from school, Senpai had been more anxious day by day. Of course, she did hear about rumors that he's going to expelled from Shujin, and she was worried about him.

With the 2nd of May, the board meeting slowly but surely approaching, the anxious feeling started to spread from Akira to her.

"So... Ichijou-Senpai," Kasumi asked, playing with the strew of her boxed milk. "You've been very anxious since Mr. Kamoshida's absence from school..."

"Huh? Is it this obvious?" Blinking, Akira snapped himself out from some deep thought. "Well... yeah, I don't know if Kamoshdia's change of heart would work or not..."

Even though Akira didn't notice his slip up, but Kasumi raised an eye in suspicion. 'Would work or not?' She thought, quickly shaking her head to clear the thought.

"Everything is going to be alright, Senpai," She reassured him, putting on the best smile she could. "Believe in yourself!"

"Yeah, you're right..." Trailing off, the amateur writer gave her a tired smile before giving out a long and heavy sigh. "But I'm more concerned about Shiho, she's coming back on the 2nd... if Kamoshida is still the same..."

"...You seem to care a lot about Suzui-Senpai," The gymnastic dancer asked with a raised eye. "Are you two... dating?"

"Unfortunately, no," Akira sighed again with a slight frown, looking into somewhere behind her. "Not that I could just confess my feeling or something along those lines."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Well... you heard about Kimiko before, right?"

"Um... I had heard about her," Kasumi nodded. "She... committed suicide about half a year ago, right?"

"Yeah, and well... I used to have a crush on her," The amateur writer answered, leaning back into his chair. "And we're used to be very close as well..."

"Okay... I think I saw why you didn't tell Suzui-Senpai about your feeling," Kasumi murmured mostly to herself, nodding as she pondered. "You're afraid that you're using her as a replacement of Akashi-Senpai, right?"

"...Well..." Akira trailed off as if he'd been caught red-handed, lowering his head. "Yeah, after what she had been through, I just... I don't know if I'm actually falling for her or not."

"Oh, I've dragged the mood down again ." Blinking, he quickly apologized with a polite bow. "I'm really sorry for you to hear my mumbling, it's not like... I'm someone that has anything important to say, nor am I an actual good person-"

However, his mumbling was interrupted as Kasumi shook her head with a faint frown. "Actually, you are an extremely kind and brave person for me, Senpai."

"You saved Suzui-Senpai from falling off the building, and you offered yourself as my first friend when have none..." Trailing off, she deepened her frown as she leaned forward. "You did all these things when no one was willing to do so, it's enough to show you that you're not a bad person, Senpai."

"It's... actually..." Struggling to find the right word to say, Akira gave up a long and heavy sigh as he leaned back. "Well, I guess I have nothing to say against this... but... it's much more complicated than that."

"And I guess we should just drop this subject altogether..."

"I guess so..." Sighing, Kasumi quietly returned to her bento, and the lunch continued on with a shroud of heavy silence.

* * *

[Meanwhile, Courtyard]

Staring at the blazing sun shining through the rooftop, Ann sighed as she leaned forward and glanced at her phone. The wait was acting on her, but she's more worried and anxious about the future. And with their suspicion on Shiho being Swan... Everything just kept piling up on her.

However, her train of thought was interrupted as someone walked up to her with a bottle of water. "Yo, somethin' on your mind, Ann?"

Turning her gaze toward the source of that voice, the model unintentionally breathed in relief as she saw Ryuji stood beside her with his trademark grin. "Aren't you going to have lunch with Ren instead?" She asked, raising an eye at him.

"Today's an exception," Shrugging, the ex-runner sat down beside her and smiled. "But you don't look great."

"I know it's very obvious, but I just can't help but feel..." Trailing off, Ann sighed again as she tried to keep her emotion in check. "We don't know if Kamoshida's going to confess or not. And the uncertainty... it's killing me."

"Yeah, I felt the same way too," Ryuji nodded, gulping the entire bottle of water in one go. "Morgana didn't know whether this would work or not, but we already had no other option to deal with this asshole."

"...But Shiho's coming back on the 2nd..." The model murmured to herself, just loud enough for Ryuji to hear her. "I'm anxious about her safety... if we fail, God knows what would happen to her?"

"I... I don't know either," The ex-runner sighed, unintentionally sat a little bit closer to Ann. "But... yeah..."

"And... if we failed and Kamoshida didn't have his heart changed..." Trailing off, Ann turned her head away to hid her blushing cheeks. "I...I-I want to say something before there's no chance to do it anymore."

"Thank you... for dying your hair for me..." She murmured, playing with her twin-tails as her cheeks drowned into a deeper shade of crimson. "For everything you've done for me."

Widening his eyes in surprise, Ryuji blushed brightly as he glanced away from her. "Y-yeah, I..." He trailed off, clutching his eyes for a second before suddenly stood up from the bench, his eyes filled with determination.

"I promise you, Ann," The ex-runner said, holding her shoulder with his hands and met her looked right into her eyes. "I'll keep doin' all these things for you!"

And then, a wave of awkward silence came upon the two, then extended into the entire courtyard. As his word sunk in, both Ann and Ryuji widened their eyes in surprise, and he quickly released his grip on her shoulder.

"O-oh... u-uh..." Stammering, Ryuji blushed as he tried to find an excuse to explain his sudden outburst. "S-sorry 'bout that, I-I just..."

"No, it's fine," Shaking her head, Ann smiled in response. "But... I think I'll be counting on you then."

"Y-yeah, you can count on me!" He grinned, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

With that said, the aura of awkward silence fell upon the two again.

* * *

[ **2nd May** ]

A few more days had passed since the battle with Kamoshida, and his subsequent unusual absence from the school. For the normal students who were just living their school life as normal as any other day, today was just another day, and the day before the Golden Week.

However, the same couldn't be said for the Persona users.

Walking down the walkway toward the school, Akira kept his thought onto the music and away from any Kamoshida-related business. However, his train of thought (which lead to nothing) was interrupted as someone tapped his shoulder.

Taking off his headphones, Akira turned toward the direction of the tapping and noticed Shiho. "Oh right, you're returning to school today," He said, a slight frown crept onto his face. "And..,"

"Hey, school isn't starting yet, Akira," Shiho said with a furrowed brow, tightening her grip on her schoolbag. "Stay optimistic, okay?"

"I know..."

"...But you're still anxious, right?"

"Yeah..." Trailing off, Akira unintentionally gave out a long sigh. "But there's nothing we can do at this point, I can only have to accept the result."

"Right..."

With that said, the duo walked to the school in uncomfortable and heavy silence.

[Early Morning]

Instead of the usual class assembly in their classroom, the principal called everyone in the school to the gym for a special morning assembly. What the hell was that fat-ass principal thinking? Akira was wondering this same exact question as everyone around him.

_"What's with the sudden morning assembly..?"_

_"I bet it's about that girl that almost jumped the other day."_

_"They don't have to tell us not to commit suicide or anything."_

"Or it's to publicly tell everyone who's going to be expelled..." Murmuring to herself, Shiho quickly shook her head to throw this thought out of the window. "No Shiho, it's not going to happen, it's definitely not going to happen..."

Meanwhile, Ann was internally begging for the change of heart to work, Clutching her eyes shut. 'Please don't expel them... Please don't...'

However, as Principal Kabayakawa stepping onto the stage, they knew that there's nothing they could do to what happened next. Clearing his throat, the principal adjusted his tie before starting the special assembly.

"Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly." He said, scanning the crowd to make sure that no one's talking before continuing his own speech. "As you all know, a tragic event almost took place the other day."

Just as those words came out from Kobayakwa's mouth, there were a few clear groans in annoyance. After all, who would want to stand and hear some boring speech from the principal? Especially THIS principal out of anyone.

"Thankfully, our brave students were able to save her and she's fine now."

Tightening her clutched fist, Shiho tried to best to keep her emotion in check. 'So no mention of Kamoshida, huh?' She thought sarcastically.

"Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore that you rethink the importance of life and-"

Before the principal could finish his sentence, the exit door suddenly slammed open, interrupting him and startling everyone in the hall.

"What the..." Akira murmured, narrowing his gaze at the opened door.

"Who is that?" Shiho asked, mostly to herself.

However, as the figure walked out from the shadow, there was a crowd of audible gasps spreading through the students, and Ann was the loudest of them all.

It was Kamoshida.

Instead of his usual proud and up straight self, the PE teacher was visible slouching, and the 'fire' was missing from his eyes, replaced with emptiness. Taking every step slowly, he walked up to the stage and faced the students before him.

"...What the hell is wrong with Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked out loud, mostly to himself.

On the other hand, Ren only narrowed his gaze at Kamoshida. "Did he... really has his heart changed?"

"Mr. Kamoshida." Principal Kobayakawa greeted the man hesitantly, looking at him with uncertainty. "What's the-"

"I... Have been reborn." Interrupting Kobayakawa, the PE teacher fell down to his knees, his gaze kept locking on the ground. "That is why I will confess everything to you all…"

"...Huh?" Ann breathed, looking at him wide-eyed.

"Could this be..." Shiho whispered, also looking at him with a look of disbelief.

"I have repeatedly done things that were... unbecoming of a teacher." He said out loud, kept avoiding the curious gaze of the students. "Verbally abusing students...physically abusing my team, and… Sexually harassing and assaulting female students."

Widening his eyes at Kamoshida's word, Akira felt relieved from the bottom of his heart. "We did it..." He murmured to himself, just loud enough for himself to hear. "Kimiko... we did it..."

"I am the reason why Suzui Shiho tried to kill herself!" Sobbing uncontrollably, Kamoshida shouted at the top of his lung, surprising everyone in the hall. "Not only that... I am the reason that Akashi Kimiko killed herself, then... then I used someone else as my scapegoat, blaming my crime on him."

Shocked from the revelation, some students quickly connected the dot, and Akira could felt a few pairs of eyes landed on him.

_"So Ichijou is innocent this whole time..."_

_"Fucking hell... This is fucked up."_

_"That's why Mr. Kamoshida couldn't kick him out... it was all Mr. Kamoshida's crime!"_

_"I felt bad for him... losing his friends and being blamed..."_

_"That means... Kamoshida was the one who raped Akashi-senpai..."_

"I thought of this school as my own castle...There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn't like them..." Kamoshida looked up from the ground, his eyes were blurry from the tears. "I will, of course, rescind those…"

"I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts..." The teacher clenched his knees in anguish. "I am an arrogant, shallow...and shameful person. No, I'm worse than that…"

"I will take responsibility and kill myself for it...!"

The crowd engulfed into panic chatter again, students who were horrified for what their idol had done, and more horrified that Kamoshida was going to kill himself. Meanwhile, Kobayakawa quickly rushed to his side, grabbing his shoulder and pleaded.

"Mr. Kamoshida! Please get off the stage for now!"

"Everyone, return to your class!" A teacher yelled, panic clearly written all over his face.

However, before everyone could react, Akira yelled at the top of his lung, interrupting everyone.

"Don't you dare, Kamoshida!"

Clutching his fist, the amateur writer took a deep breath before continuing. "Even though Kimiko died, Shinji transferred to Kosei, and everyone in this school hates me to the gut for all this time... I'm still here, not going down and run away."

"If you even dare to think the idea of killing yourself, you're just running away!"

"Don't run, you bastard!" Ann added, her glare straight-up burnt hole in him. "I won't let you take an easy way out!"

"Even if I almost jumped from the rooftop, I'm still here and face it head-on!" Shiho followed, gritting her teeth in rage. "You don't deserve to runaway through death!"

"You're right...You're absolutely right..." Kamoshida nodded. "I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes..."

"I did horrible things to Takamaki-san, as well." He admitted, straightening up as he scanned through the crowd. "In return for giving Suzui-san a position on the team... I tried to force her into having relations."

"As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. Someone, please call the police!"

Seeing that no one was going to do the necessary, Ren sighed before taking out his phone, calling to police. Meanwhile, Ryuji only stared at the scene with widened eyes, unintentionally glancing at Ann a few rows away.

"This morning's assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!"

Surprised from the teacher's yelling, most of the students quickly returned to their classroom, including Shiho and Akira.

* * *

[After school, Kosei High School, Student Council Room]

"This..." Trailing off, Hinaki sighed as she turned off her phone's screen, burying her face into her palms. "...Those crimes are worse than I thought."

"H-how... How can Shujin hide something like this?" She murmured, staring at the phone's screen with a horrified face. "T-this is..."

The news of Kamoshida suddenly confessing his crime was... shocking to say the least for her. Remembering the cases with Kimiko and Shinji, she gave out another long sigh.

However, her train of thought was interrupted as the door suddenly slammed open, revealing a rage-filled Shinji. "I didn't remember I told you to go to Shujin and ask Akira to transfer here," He said coldly, burning holes with his glare.

Startled from his sudden appearance, Hinaki shuddered before quickly trying to recollect herself. "Izumo-Kun, how did you know-"

"I overheard a few students talking about your sudden appearance in Shujin," He said, slamming his palms onto the table. "And I just connected dot as the news broke out."

Avoiding his glare, Hinaki paused for a moment before nodding. "R-right, but he refused the offer-"

"When did I ask you to 'take him to Kosei too'? Or did I even say so?" Shinji asked sarcastically, leaning toward the president.

"I was just trying to do the best for you," She tried to explain, still avoiding his glare. "You told me you're not happy because of your lost friends, so if I can get Ichijou to Kosei as well-"

"Why would you think our relationship would just magically be fixed itself if Akira and I are in the same school?" He slammed on the table again, pointing at somewhere behind him. "Look at Naoko!"

"I-"

"Just stop with your bullshit for a second, okay? I thought you're satisfied with taking me in here, but it seems that I was dead wrong."

"I'm not having any satisfaction in taking you to Kosei! I just... I thought that you and Naoko would understand each other and help each other on recover-"

"So I'm just a tool for Naoko's recovery, and 'I just want to help'," He interrupted her, laughing somberly. "Wow, joke of the year material, Higashikuni."

"Let me tell you something, Naoko blames me for doing nothing about Kimiko's death," He continued. "What in the world did you think it's a good idea to put us on the same goddamn school!"

"I..." Knowing that Shinji was actually right on this front, Hinaki could only look away in guilt. "I apologize for my decision, I did think that-"

"Let's be honest, I hate you, Higashikuni," Raising his voice, Shinji stood up straight and took a step back. "Just disappear from my life, you've nothing but worsening the entire situation."

With that said, he left the student council room with a loud 'bang' on the door, leaving Hinaki there alone, speechless. "...What should I do..." Murmuring to herself, the memories of one of their old confrontation surfaced in her mind.

_"Ichijou would visit Akashi's grave every month?"_

_"...I'm not sure... but yeah, ever since Kimiko's death, he would go to her grave... every single month."_

Widening her eyes in realization, the president quickly checked the only few new stories concerning Kimiko's death. Even though the incident faded from the public's memories mere days after her death... but there were a few public television and official news articles mentioning her death.

'Highschool student committed suicide this morning.'

Trying her best to hold her frustration from the nonchalant title of that news story, Hinaki quickly scrolled through the story and landed on the day it reported.

"...So it's only a few days away..." Muttering out loud, she changed into the calendar app and marked down the date.

* * *

[Evening, Akira's apartment]

Sighing in relief as he entered his apartment, Akira placed his school bag on a stand he recently bought along with his school jacket. After changed into his casual wear, he went into his kitchen for dinner. However, he was about to change his clothes when his doorbell rang.

Widening his eyes in realization, Akira quickly rushed to the front door and opened it. Before he could realize, a young girl suddenly rushed forward and took him into a tight hug.

"Big bro Akira! I've missed you!"

Releasing him from the hug, the young girl took a step back and smiled brightly. Even though it had been four years since their last meeting, but her twin-tails and bright smile were still recognizable.

"Me too, Nanako-Chan," Akira smiled in return, noting a young man walking up with a small smile. "And hey, Yu-San!"

"It's been a while, Akira," Narukami Yu greeted him with a smile, patting Nanako's head as she walked back to his side.

"Well, how's Inaba doing?" The amateur writer widened his smile, stepping aside to let them enter the apartment. "I heard about the Amagi Inn on the news yesterday, they got mentioned in some famous magazine, or something like that."

Walking into the apartment with Nanako, Yu shook his head with a light sigh. "Well, Yukiko told me that she got a lot busier than usual ever since they got mentioned on Matcha... so there's that."

"Hmm... good for her, at least the inn is doing well," Akira said. "But um... how's everyone else doing? I heard that Naoto-San and Kanji-San weren't in Inaba."

"Oh... they went to Ayanagi City a while ago," Giving out a long sigh, Yu rested his arms on his wrist. "I remembered that they're investigating on some mafia case or something..."

"A mafia case... Well, I hope that they're doing wel-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud groan suddenly sounded from Nanako's stomach, interrupting the two. "O-oh, I'm hungry," Nanako said with a bright blush, rubbing her stomach with an embarrassed grin. "Can we go somewhere to eat?"

"Of course!" Akira nodded without any hesitation, rubbing his chin for a second before he clapped his hand. "I know a place for excellent curry, and you're going to love it."

"Really?" Yu raised an eye in curiosity, resting his hands in his pocket. "I'm all for your idea, but... uh... curry kinda reminded me of some... unpleasant memories."

"You mean that 'Mysterious Food X' thingy Yosuke-San told me before?" Akira smirked, using his finger to emphasize the 'Mysterious Food X'. "Well, I'm surprised that Yukiko-San and Chie-San are THAT bad on cooking..."

"Uh... yeah, that one," Gulping, the silver-haired boy had to pinch his nosebridge to keep his memories in check. "Well, Chie's cooking improves a bit after she started dating with Yosuke... since Yosuke forced her to attend an actual cooking lesson."

"But... ain't Yosuke-San the dominated side-"

Widening his eyes in shock, Yu instantly covered Akira's mouth before he could finish the sentence, leaving a confused and hungry Nanako glancing at the two. "D-don't finish that sentence, Nanako is only 11!"

"O-okay!" Shrugging the hand of his mouth, Akira coughed before giving out a long sigh. "But you still haven't answered my question, Yu-San."

"Well... think of it as a rare moment where Yosuke finally steal the spotlight."

"You mean the only moment, right?"

"Probably... On second thought, you're probably right."

As the conversation concerning the old investigation team continued, Nanako furrowed her brow before stomping her foot on the ground, gaining the duo's attention. "I'm hungry, big bro. Are we going to stay here?"

"O-oh right! That place is just around five minutes walk from here," Quickly coughed and cleared his throat, Akira rushed into his room and changed into his streetwear. "Anyway, let's go! I'll guide you there."

* * *

[A little while later, Leblanc]

"A cafe?" Looking at the sign placed beside the door, Yu raised an eye as he turned to Akira. "Um... why would this place have curry?"

"I don't know either," Akira shrugged. "But anyway, trust me."

Entering the cafe, the persudo-sibling was greeted by the cozy and relaxing atomsphere of Leblanc. There weren't any customers right now, and Sojiro was making a cup of coffee when he noticed them. "Hey, Akira. Didn't expect you to come here now."

"I know, boss," The amateur writer greeted him with a smile. "But they are new to Tokyo, so I want them to be introduced to your cafe," He said, gesturing the two to sit by the booth with Nanako in the middle, Yu at the right and Akira at the left.

"Three plates of curry, please," He ordered, and Sojiro nodded with a faint smile.

"Comin' right up."

With that said, Sojiro disappeared in the back kitchen, out of the trio's sight. As they waited for their dinner to arrive, the wind bell suddenly rang beside them.

Ren entered the cafe with a tired expression, pinching his nosebridge to keep himself from falling asleep. "Jesus... It sucks to work in that beef bowl shop..." Murmuring to himself, the delinquent lifted his glasses as he noticed the trio sitting by the booth.

"Oh, hey Ichijou," He greeted them nonchalantly, stretching his arms up into the top. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I'm introducing Boss's curry to them," He explained, gesturing to Yu and Nanako. "Yu-San, Nanako-Chan, this is Amamiya Ren, my classmate who lived here."

"Big bro Akira's classmate?!" Widening her eyes in surprise, Nanako came down from the seat and held out a hand. "I am Dojima Nanako, nice to meet you!"

Taken back by the enthusiastic attitude of Nanako, Ren could felt a sweat dropped from his forehead before quickly recollected himself. "N-nice to meet you, Dojima-chan."

At the same time, Morgana popped out from the delinquent's bag and meowed, capturing the little girl's attention. "Oh, Amamiya-San, you bring a kitty to your school?"

"Uh... yeah, it's my therapist animal, his name is Morgana," Trying his best to hold his smirk, Ren held the cat on his stomach and handed him to Nanako. "Here, you can play with him."

"Really?!" Her eyes lifted up in excitement, Nanako quickly held the cat in her hand and caressed his head. "Wow, a real kitty-"

"I'm not a cat! Ren! Get me out of here!"

Interrupted by Morgana's sudden outburst, Nanako could only stare at Morgana with widened eyes. Normally, she would only hear some loud meowing coming out from him, but...

"Big bro..." The little girl trailed off, glancing at Yu with a confused look. "Did the kitty just talked?"

Just as Nanako finish her sentence, a heavy silence came upon the entire cafe, both Yu and Ren only stared at Nanako with a shocked face. Meanwhile, Akira quickly acted as if he's totally confused about her question, even though he could hear Morgana talk. And a sole thought occupied his mind.

'What the hell is going on?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that, chapter 11 of Another Thief: Royal Fool ended with a cliffhanger :P
> 
> I know you must be confused that how did Nanako could hear Morgana talk, but Nanako did enter the 'shadow realm', the TV World in her case for a considerable amount of time. So even though she didn't see Morgana's Metaverse form, but she could still hear or see anything that only a Persona user could see or heard (even if she doesn't have a Persona).
> 
> And the next chapter would be centered around the first two days of the Golden Week, especially with Akira, Yu and Nanako.
> 
> anyway, I hope you like the story so far, comments are welcome!


	12. Golden Week

[Evening, Leblanc]

"Big bro... did the kitty just talked?"

As the atmosphere in the cafe basically dropped into a tense mess, Yu and Ren both stared at Nanako with widened eyes. How would Nanako able to hear Morgana talk? Why would Yu-San have this type of reaction?

A million train of thought rushed through his mind, Akira quickly tapped Yu's leg with his and gave him a 'don't talk about it' face. Even though confused, but the former leader of the Investigation team quickly nodded and played as if he didn't hear Morgana.

"H-hmm? I only heard it meowing."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Nanako pouted as she tightened her soul-crushing hug on Morgana. "You're so mean, big bro!"

"Wait, what?" Yu blinked, a droplet of sweat trailed down his face. "U-uh Nanako, I'm just telling the truth."

Sighing to herself, the little girl quickly changed her attention onto Akira instead. "Big bro Akira, do you hear the kitty talk too?"

"Uh... no, I just heard some meowing," Feeling his heart basically shattered at Nanako's sadden face, Akira tune the speed of his train of thought into one thousand before an idea popped into his mind. "But... maybe the kitty wants only you to understand it!"

"The kitty wants only me to understand it...?" Tilting her head in confusion, Nanako's eyes darted between Akira and Morgana for a few times before smiling brightly.

"O-oh, mister kitty, I'm not that special," Giggling, she released Morgana from her hug and handed him back to Ren. "Here, Big bro Amamiya, I'm sorry to bother your kitty for this long."

Snapped back from his momentary shock, Ren hastily nodded and took Morgana from her hands. Placing the cat back into his bag, he gave them a farewell before entering the attic, leaving the trio alone.

Coming back with three plates of curry, Sojiro's looked at them with a confused look. "What happened?"

"O-oh, nothing."

* * *

After a good mean with dinner and coffee (cold tea for Nanako, she asked for it), the three returned to Akira's apartment. Maybe it was because of the long train ride from Inaba, or just because it's late at night, Nanako almost instantly walked to the room right across Akira's for some rest.

Coming back after fixing her blanket, Akira sat on one end of the dinner table with Yu sitting right in front of him. "So..." He trailed off, lowering his head as the atmosphere became more awkward as time went on.

"Why would you and Nanako be able to hear Morgana talk in the real world?"

"The real world... huh," Yu nodded to himself, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "So, what kind of people can hear that cat?"

"The same kind of person who can see this," Snapping his finger, Akira let Moriarty appear behind him.

Seeing how Yu's eyes widened and looked right at his Persona, the amateur writer nodded to himself and made Moriarty disappeared again. "So you can see Moriarty... You're a Persona-user as well, Yu-San?"

"...Right, I am," Yu sighed, leaning back into the chair as Izanagi-no-Okami appeared behind him. "But no wonder... that's why Kirijo-San brought you to Inaba as well?"

"Huh? No, I asked her to come along," Akira replied with a shake of his head, letting Moriarty appear again. "And I awaken this guy less than a month ago."

 _ **"My name is Moriarty, a pleasure to meet you, fellow Persona,"**_ The blue gentlemen politely bowed to Izanagi-no-Okami, holding out a hand toward him.

 _ **"Izanagi-no-Okami, nice to meet you,"**_ Nodding, the steel kingpin took his hand and shook it. _**"Anyway, how did you meet him from the sea of souls?"**_

_ **"That's... a long story, but I can explain-** _ _ **"** _

_ **"Izanagi-nee-chan, you're talking with someone else without telling me?"** _

Widening their eyes in surprise (if there's one), Moriarty almost jumped in shock when a little blonde girl appeared next to Izanagi. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, the little girl hastily hugged Izanagi, as if she was trying to assure dominance.

_ **"U-uh... Alice-Chan, didn't I tell you not to come out-"** _

_ **"** _ _ **Izanagi-Nee-Chan, but you're meeting someone new!** _ _ **"** _

_ **"Alice? Wait, ain't you THE Alice from that wonderland story?!"** _

_**"Yeah, it's me!"**_ The blonde girl, now known as Alice greeted him with an elegant bow. _**"My name is Alice, nice to meet you, Moriarty-Nee-Chan!"**_

_ **"M-M** _ _ **oriarty-Nee-Chan?!** _ _ **"** _

"Uh... that was... Something," Unintentionally gulping, Akira decided to just ignore the three Personas as they did their own things. "Anyway, so... how did you awaken to your Persona, Yu-San?"

"To be honest, it's a long story," Sighing to himself, Yu rubbed a thread of his hair as he recollected the memories of that year. "...We found out a world in the TV, which we just called it 'TV World', and... it's about the murder case in 2011."

"The case was related to the TV World, and we had to save people from that world... In all and all, we used our Persona to solve that case"

"Oh, that murder case..." He trailed off, nodding to himself. "Now you've come clean with your's, I should come clean with mine as well."

Clearing his throat, Akira took a long, deep breath and started to tell him his story. Kamoshida, the metaverse and that castle, awakening Moriarty, finding out Ren's group (not mentioning his name). Finally, changing Kamoshida heart and his confession today.

After hearing Akira's story, Yu couldn't help but feel really bad about him. "...This must suck, but I'm glad that- Wait, you're that one 'Phantom Thief of Heart' the news mentioned?"

"Um... Not exactly me, but it's the other group of Persona users... It's just a very complicated situation."

"Complicated Situation... okay then, I'm not going to ask too much about it," Nodding to himself, Yu rubbed his chin in deep thought. "Just... take care, okay? If the journey is going to repeat itself, things are just going to be more and more dangerous from here on out."

"So Kamoshida won't be the last... Kinda guessed that," Leaning back to his chair, Akira glanced at the room Nanako slept in and remembered the reason this meeting even started in the first place. "Oh right, how did Nanako was able to hear Morgana too? She doesn't have a Persona, right?"

"O-oh, she doesn't have one, and I wish she wouldn't have one," Looking down, the silver hair boy bit his lips to control his emotion. "B-but... she entered the TV World during that murder case..."

_"Nanako! Hang on! Dojima-San is coming!"_

_"Big... bro... I'm... Scared..."_

_"Nanako! Nanako...?"_

_"I-I'm sorry, Dojima-San..."_

_"It's fine, Yu... Nanako, let's go to Junes together."_

_"Nanako, it's Junes, your favorite place."_

_"Nanako, just wake up!'_

_"NANAKO!"_

"Yu-San? You just stopped talking all of a sudden."

Snapping out from the sudden surge of memories, Yu hastily flashed a reassuring smile. "N-nothing, it's just... that day was the worst day of my life."

"I understand," Akira nodded, crossing his arms as he pondered. "We all have that day where we don't want to remember."

Feeling an awkward silence came upon them, he finally noticed something out of place with Moriarty, Izanagi, and Alice "...Wait a sec, who is Alice's user?"

"Huh?"

"There's only two of us, but three Personas..."

"O-oh right, I forgot to ask you about it," Widening his eyes in surprise, Yu quickly straightened himself and leaned forward. "Do you see anyone who can use multiple Persona in that 'other group'?"

"Yeah, I did know one," Akira nodded, raising an eye in slight confusion. "But... is that important?"

"It is," He nodded. "That means it's a Wildcard's journey..."

"Wildcard?"

"This is the name given for people who can wield multiple Persona," Yu explained, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "As you can see, I am a Wildcard myself, and I knew there's one before me too."

"Okay... so there are more Persona users... and people who can use multiple Personas too..." Trailing off, Akira stared at the table as he noticed footsteps noise beside them.

"Big bro... What are you talking about..." Rubbing her eyes as she's still half asleep, Nanako took a few steps forward and sat on the chair next to Akira.

"N-nothing, Nanako," Quickly telling Izanagi-no-Okami and Alice to return, Yu quickly replied with a shake of his head. "If you're tired, you should get some more sleep, we'll decide where to go tomorrow."

"But Big bro, Tokyo is so big-" Before Nanako could finish her words, Paff came out from nowhere and leaped onto her laps and sniffed. "Oh, a puppy!"

"O-oh, I forgot to introduce Paff to you two," Mentally facepalmed to his forgetfulness, Akira clapped lightly and called Paff to him, holding her up and showed her to the two. "This is Paff, a puppy I found on the street a while ago."

"Paff? That's a weird name," Yu commented, tilting his head in slight confusion.

The amateur writer just shrugged in return, letting the puppy return to Nanako's lap again. "I'm not the one who made the name for her, so I couldn't say anything about it."

"I think Paff is a cute name for her!" Nanako beamed, tightly hugging the small puppy to her heart. "I am Nanako, nice to meet you, Paff!"

Paff barked and shook her tail happily in return, proceeding to lick her face. "P-Paff! It's ticklish!" She giggled in return, a sheepish smile crept onto her face.

Even though the scene was exploded with cuteness, but Yu kept the urge to leave them alone under control and patted Nanako's head. "Nanako, we have a long day ahead of us, let's go to sleep."

"But big bro..."

"You can play with Paff tomorrow too, Nanako," The silver-haired boy smiled. "Now let's go to sleep, we'll go and buy souvenirs for Dojima-San."

"But also you too, Nanako-Chan," Akira added, giving her a bright smile and a thumb out. "I got an idea, let's go to the Underground Mall and buy you some clothes, then we'll find more things to do after that."

Widening her eyes and her smile, Nanako nodded eagerly.

* * *

[3rd May, Underground Mall]

Leading the two to the Underground Mall, Akira showed them the clothes and other accessories stores. Looking around in awe, Nanako quickly rushed to a clothes store and beamed.

"Big bro! What do you think about this dress?" She asked, holding a pink dress on her body.

"You looked fantastic, Nanako!" Yu answered with a thumbs up, picking another dress and showed it to her. "How about this one?"

"Mmm... This looked great too! Let's try some more!"

Watching the two from afar, Akira couldn't help but smile faintly. "I should leave them be for now-"

However, his word was interrupted as a familiar voice rang from his side. "Akira?!"

Turning around, Akira saw Shiho walking over with a bright smile, and hastily returned with a faint smile. "O-oh hey, Shiho. Didn't expect to see you here too."

"What brought you here? You're not going to come just stand here like an idiot?"

"Well, I told you that some of my friends from Inaba would come here and I had to be their guide," He explained, gesturing to Nanako and Yu who were still trying out new clothes. "And our first stop is right here."

"Oh right, I forgot about it," Shiho clapped her hands together, a smile crept onto her face. "Maybe I can accompany you on the way? After all, I had nothing to do today."

"Um... what about Ann?"

"She's having a date, I guess," The volleyball player shrugged. "She didn't tell me who she's going out with, but it's probably Sakamoto."

"Yeah, I bet it must be him," Akira giggled, noticing Nanako and Yu returned from the clothes store with... two bags of clothes on Yu's arm.

"Sorry for the wait, Akira," Yu apologized, shifting his focus onto Shiho. "And um..."

"I am Suzui Shiho, Akira's only friend in Shujin," Shiho introduced herself, and she couldn't help but giggled as Akira only gave him a shocked look.

"S-Shiho, I have other friends, y'know-"

"Nope, I'm the only one~"

However, just as Akira was about to retort, Nanako's laugh caught their attention. "You're so similar to Yosuke and Chie!"

"Nanako's right, you two are basically the same as them," Yu added, trying his best to hold his laughter. "Are you sure there's only friendship between you two?"

The two Shujin students glanced at each other for a second, before widening their eyes with a deep shade of red covered their cheeks. "U-uh... we're really just friends, nothing else!" Shiho hastily denied, shaking her head.

"Yeah, Chie told us the same words when we asked her about her and Yosuke," The Silver-haired boy added with a smirk, crossing his arms and enjoyed the scene played out before him.

"YU-SAN! I told you we're just friends, that's ALL!"

"Then why are you acting like this?" The former leader of the Investigation Team asked with a raised eye, struggling to hold a smirk from creeping onto his face.

"Yu... Forget it," Knowing that he's not going to win this argument with him, Akira just sighed and pointed at other shops in the underground mall. "Let's continue our trip, there's more shops than this one."

"Yeah, and I'm coming with you guys too," Shiho added, resting her arms on her hips. "I know this place better than Akira, after all."

"You're coming with us?" Nanako asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. "Then welcome Big Sis Suzui!"

"...Big Sis Suzui?" The volleyball player blinked, glancing back at Akira for an explanation.

"It's her quirk, she likes to call everyone she met as 'big sis' or 'big bro'," Akira explained with a shrug, "...Oh, I forgot to introduce you to Yu and Nanako too."

Quickly cleared his throat, he quickly stood between Shiho and the two cousins. "Shiho, this is Yu-San and Nanako-Chan, my friends from Inaba."

"...You already told me the latter part, Akira," Shiho deadpanned, but quickly smiled as her gaze returned to Yu and Nanako. "Anyway, nice to meet you, Yu-San, Nanako-Chan."

"Well, thanks to Akira, this has become the most awkward introduction I've ever encountered, aside from Kanji," Yu joked, earning a brief glare from the said person. "What? I said that Kanji's first introduction is more awkward than this one... Well, more like dangerous than awkward."

"That still doesn't change the meaning, Yu-San."

"Yeah yeah yeah, but Yu-San is the saying the truth, Akira," Shiho interrupted, pointing to an accessory shop nearby. "Anyway, I think we can go to the accessory shop as our next stop."

Nodding, the siblings followed Shiho while Akira just stood there, dumbfounded. "...Did she just stole my job as the guide?"

Sighing to himself, Akira quickly followed them. The shop was filled with different rings, keychains, and many more accessories too. And on one section was all chibi accessories as the most recent and popular accessories.

Seeing Shiho having fun with Yu and Nanako on choosing what accessories to buy, Akira was about to leave them alone when he noticed one more person standing beside the trio.

Neck length black hair, small bun with two chopsticks, and a thin white ribbon were visible in her hair...

"Excuse me, what's the price of this one?" She asked politely to the staff of the shop, pointing at one chibi keychain inside the glass case.

"...Wait a sec..." Trailing off, Akira narrowed his eyes as the memories suddenly flooded back in his mind.

_"Typical Aobara for ya, kid,"_

_"Aobara?"_

_"She's Aobara Aoi, one of my few regular customers."_

"Oh right, she's that girl who bought a musket..." Murmuring to himself, Akira was about to leave her alone when he noticed Aoi's confused look.

"...What the hell are you staring at?" She asked, scanning his entire body before landing on his eyes. "Ain't you... that guy in Untouchable?"

"Uh... yeah, and you're that Musket girl-"

"Musket girl?" Aoi deadpanned, narrowing her gaze at him. "I'm sorry, but you mistook me as whoever unlucky enough to be called 'Musket Girl'."

"Well, the only thing I remembered is you buying a musket-"

"...You've gotta be kidding me," Interrupting him in mid-sentence, she returned her focus back onto the staff, paying for the key chain. "No, I'm not going to dive into the details."

With that said, Aoi quickly grabbed the key chain before leaving the shop. Not even bother to leave a glance.

Noticing Akira's confused glance on Aoi, Shiho tapped his shoulder and got his attention. "Akira, you know that girl?"

"N-not really, we just met once in Untouchable," Akira shrugged, giving her a faint smile in return. "Anyway, how's the shopping spree going?"

"We're still looking for a key chain for Nanako's dad," She replied, gesturing at the row of key chains Nanako was looking into. "Maybe you can help us with picking one?"

"Uh..." Blinking in slight confusion, Akira hastily nodded and went back to the sibling's side.

* * *

After shopping in the underground mall for a while, Shiho had to leave as her family suddenly called for her, and Akira took his position as the guide back from her. (Even though he was somewhat disappointed that Shiho had to leave early.)

Walking down the Shibuya Central Street, Nanako laid her eyes on a toy shop and the three decided to let this shop as their next stop. Once they entered teh store, Nanako instantly pulled Yu and Akira right into the plushy section. However, Akira's attention was snapped away from them as he overheard a conversation between someone he didn't expect to be there.

"Daddy! I want a Teddie plushy doll!"

"Uh... Setsuna, but it's out of stock, I couldn't do anything about it-"

"B-but... you always buy what she asked when it big sis..."

"Setsuna... I'm not bias or anything..."

Peeking over Yu's shoulder, Akira could only widen his eyes in shock as he realized whose conversation he overheard. Out of anyone he could crash with...

It was Mr. Ushimaru, in his casual wear and acting like a sweet dad.

And beside him was a girl about one or two years younger than Nanako. Other than her black hair which tied into a small ponytail, Akira couldn't find anything stood out with her. Not that it's anything too important, her calling Ushimaru 'Daddy' was already too much information for him to handle.

"M-Mr. Ushimaru?!" Yelping in shock, Akira walked over to the Social Studies Teacher, scanning his entire feature with widened eyes. "I-is that really you?"

Ushimaru, on the other hand, could only drop his jaw open in shock. "Ichijo?!"

"No way... it's really you..." Blinking to confirm that it was indeed Mr. Ushimaru, the legendary chalk thrower/their Social Studies Teacher, the amateur writer quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "Uh... Didn't expect to see you here."

Blinking in confusion, Satsune's eyes darted between Akira and Ushimaru before a good four times. "...Daddy, you know him?" She asked, tilting her head in more confusion.

"Uh... oh right, I forgot to introduce myself," Clearing his throat, the amateur writer politely bowed before her. "I am Ichijo Akira, one of Mr. Ushimaru's students."

"Daddy's students...?" Tilting her head thoughtfully, Ushimaru's daughter shyly smiled before holding a hand out. "Nice to meet you, I am Ushimaru Setsuna."

Shaking their hands in greeting, Akira hastily straightened up and cleared his throat. "So... I overheard you two arguing on something... about a teddie bear?"

"Uh... not exactly a teddie bear..." Ushimaru trailed off, knowing that how would his daughter react to how Akira called it.

"NO!" Pouting, Setsuna rested her arms on her hips, giving Akira intense stare. "It's TEDDIE doll, not a teddie bear!"

"Teddie... doll?" Tilting his head in confusion, Akira pondered for a split second before realizing what, or who she was talking about. "Ushimaru-Chan, do you mean the mascot from Junes?"

"Yeah! I want a doll of him..."

"But it sold out," Ushimaru finished for his daughter, somewhat struggling to find a way to find a balance between his 'teacher' Persona and the 'dad' Persona. "Setsuna kept insisting that she wants one, and the rest is history."

Nodding as he grasped on the situation, the amateur writer was about to reply when Nanako's voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought. "Big Bro Akira!"

"Don't run off without telling us, okay?" Yu sighed, crossing his arms with an unimpressed look.

"You can't just leave us without telling us!" Narrowing her gaze at him, Nanako noticed Setsuna behind him and returned with a confused look. "Uh... Who are they?"

"O-oh, he's my teacher in school," Akira hastily introduced Ushimaru and Setsuna to the two, also explaining the reason he even came and talk with them.

"...So Setsuna-Chan wants a Teddie doll..." Pondering to herself, Nanako nodded with a confident smile. "No problem, we will get you one!"

"B-but how?" Setsuna questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

"We are friends with Teddie!" Nanako exclaimed, widening her smile to a full-on grin and turned to Yu behind her. "Big Bro, can you call Teddie for me?"

Even though surprised at the sudden change of attitude, Yu nodded and took out his phone, dialing the person the two little girls were talking about. "...Hey Teddie, how it's going?"

"Wait a sec, you're really calling him for that?" Akira questioned with a raised eye, glancing back at Ushimaru for a moment. "Uh... Sorry 'bout that, Mr. Ushimaru."

"It's fine..." Sighing, Ushimaru took off his glasses and pinched his nosebridge, but a faint smile was visible on his face. "But thank you, Ichijo. Now I don't need to face Setsuna's wrath..."

"Soo... Your weakness is your daughter?"

"Knowing that won't change the fact that I'm still going to throw my chalk if you're slagging off, Ichijo."

"Kinda guessed that..." Trailing off, Akira turned back to Yu. "Yu-San, so..."

"Teddie says he's working overtime right now," The silver-haired boy replied, putting his phone back into his pocket. "But we'll be back at Inaba when he finishes the doll, so you're going to deliver the doll to her."

"...Teddie is making a doll just for me?!" Setsuna yelped in shock, a bright smile slowly but surely crept onto her face. "N-no way! Daddy, Teddie's making a doll for me!"

"Yeah, you're so lucky, Setsuna," Smiling warmly to his daughter, the Social Studies Teacher bowed slightly to the trio. "Well... thank you for helping."

"You're welcome!" Nanako returned with an equally warm smile, following by a smile from Yu, and an awkward one from Akira.

* * *

[4th May, Arcade]

"Big Bro Akira, why are we here?"

"Because Nanako, you've never been to an Arcade, right?" Akira asked, subconsciously adjusted his headphone for the sixth time for today. "Here we have a 'Gun About' machine, more doll machines and such..."

"I only knew Aracde from TV shows..." Nanako nodded, looking around the shop with excitement. "Big Bro Akira, you're so lucky that you have one Arcade nearby!"

"To be honest, I have only been here for..." Trailing off, the amateur writer tapped his chin thoughtfully. "six or seven times over the years, yeah."

"Because you have a console in your home, right?" Yu interrupted him with a faint smirk. "I saw one in your apartment."

"Oh, that one..." Akira sighed, twisting a strand of his hair. "Yeah, I like playing in home more than coming to an Arcade. Unless I'm coming with someone else."

"And now you're coming with us," Nanako added, pulling his hand and dragged them into the Arcade

Arriving in the Arcade, the trio was instantly greeted by a huge crowd surrounding the 'Gun About' machine. Usually, this would happen when the famous 'King' was here and play, but... Akira saw the recognizable white ribbon among the crowd.

"She's here too?" Murmuring to himself, he internally cursed at his bad luck.

"Big Bro Akira, what's happening?" Nanako asked, tightening her grip on Yu's hand in nervousness. "Why there's a huge crowd here?"

"Well, I guess either there's someone who's challenging King's high score, or King himself going for a new high score," Akira shrugged, gesturing the two toward the crowd. "Hey, let's see what's happening."

Nodding, the trio squeezed themselves among the crowd and saw a boy standing on the platform, shooting the target with pin-point accuracy. The first thing that grabbed Akira's attention was that... his hair was in a natural shade of blonde, but his feature was distinctively Japanese.

With the stern and focused expression, and the reddish-brown glasses he wore... Akira felt as if he's watching Q from the recent James Bond movies in real life. Other than that, he wore a suit jacket which had the same color as his glasses, with black casual jeans... it just struck a weird image for him.

Amazed by his performance, the amateur writer was about to just watch him when Aoi suddenly stepped out from the crowd. Taking the 2P spot beside him and put in a token, taking the ray gun from the holster, the two suddenly got into intense competition.

Well... not exactly an intense competition.

Blinking in surprise as his score got beaten effortlessly by Aoi, the two exchanged a somewhat irritated glance before playing in another game. And this time, the atmosphere around them suddenly became extremely tense and competitive.

"...I guess we're not going to play this one for a while," Sweatdropping, Akira turned to the two siblings and gestured to another machine. "How about some other game?"

Nodding, the trio left from the crowd and went to another machine, a doll machine to be exact. Internally thanking god that he saved up some 100 yen coins beforehand, Akira let Nanako try her best and get a special Jack Frost doll.

Seeing Yu's warm smile as Nanako finally got the doll she wanted, the trio then turned another machine.

After playing around for a long while (Akira assumed that they'd been here for a few hours by now), he noticed Nanako started to get a little hungry and suggested them to have a meal in the family dinner nearby.

However, as they passed by the Gun About machine, Akira saw that... Aoi and that boy were still playing against each other. "...That's some dedication," Yu commented, gesturing them to keep going.

"Yeah, that's some serious dedication," Akira shrugged.

* * *

[5th May, Early morning, Shibuya Station]

Standing on the platform and waited for the train, Nanako pouted slightly as the train approached. "Why can't we stay here longer, Big bro?" She asked. "There's still a lot of places to visit!"

"Yeah, but it's not like we're only going to visit Tokyo once, right?" Yu reassured her, patting her head.

"Yeah, maybe you guys can come during the holiday, like the Summer holiday or Winter holiday," Akira suggested with a hopeful smile. "And maybe you can stay longer next time!"

Widening her smile to a full-on grin, Nanako nodded in anticipation. "I want to go to Kichijoji next time! And more places like Akihabara, Inokashira Park, and Destinyland!"

"Yeah, I'll remember that," The amateur writer replied with a chuckle, resting his hands in his hoodie's pocket.

With that said, the train arrived and the two waved goodbye as they entered the train. "Bye-bye!" The little girl exclaimed, enthusiastically waving her hand in the air.

"Bye-bye!" Akira returned with the same smile, watching their left as the train went on its way.

Now being all alone again, he couldn't help but gave out a long sigh. Feeling his phone buzzed in his pocket, he took it out and noticed a text from Shiho.

**Shiho: Hey Akira, I know you have some personal business to deal with... But do you have time after you dealt with... the personal business?**

**Shiho: Ann invite me to a buffet with Sakomoto-Kun and Amamiya-Kun, and I wanted to invite you too.**

Widening his eyes slightly in surprise, Akira still couldn't believe that Shiho would go out her way and ask him about it. To be honest... it probably wouldn't take him too long, but if he did go with Shiho to the buffet, he would just drag the mood down the ground.

Sighing to himself again, Akira typed his response.

**Akira: Sorry, but... if I really come with you guys, it would only drag the mood down.**

**Shiho: Oh... okay then.**

**Akira: I'm really sorry, but don't worry about me, just focus on having fun!**

Closing the phone and put it back into his pocket, he left the platform and went to the underground mall.

(To be Continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after two whole weeks, Chapter 12 is finally here! 
> 
> And um... this chapter is mostly just about Akira going out with Yu and Nanako, with some future characters making their cameo or second appearances.
> 
> But actually, I'm more looking forward to the chapter after this one XD. After all, I had planned that scene for so long XD
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story so far, comments are much welcomed!


	13. Conflicted Emotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after exactly a month (Um... maybe a day more than a month), chapter 13 is finally done and it's here!
> 
> Unfortunately, since how the event works out and the fact that it would be a bit too much just for one chapter, I had to split both Akira and Shiho's events into another chapter.
> 
> However, the next chapter would be both the official founding of the Phantom Thief, Akira's talks with Hinaki, and some tease for the characters in the next arc as it would be the closing part of Kamoshida's arc.
> 
> It's really funny that it took about half a year to finally finish Kamoshida's arc... it's going to take a LONG time for this fic.
> 
> Also, I'm happy to introduce the third and final main new OC (there would be more, but they're not as center-staged at these three for now) that RosyMiranto18 introduced- Yanagishita Hajime!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the story so far, reviews are definitely welcome!

[5th May, Shibuya Station]

Under the blazing sunlight above, Shiho groaned in annoyance as she wiped more sweat from her forehead. Besides her was Ann, lazily browsing her phone as they leaned beside a wall behind them.

"Where is Sakamoto?" Sighing to herself, the volleyball player glanced at Ann and Ren. "Ain't he should be here ten minutes ago?"

"Ryuji just called me," Ren answered, resting his hands in his pocket. "He's on the train right now, so he's probably close by now."

"...That's ten or fifteen more minutes for me, Amamiya," Shaking her head, Shiho rested her head on the wall, closing her eyes as she endured the heat. "If there's a god, please have mercy on me..."

"Shiho, just take off your windbreaker," Ann deadpanned, scanning the white windbreaker she's wearing. "Anyway, why are you wearing it?"

"W-well, there's AC over in Wilton..." Trailing off, the volleyball player shook her head before pulling down the zipper of her windbreaker, revealing a white T-shirt with the word 'Swan' wrote on the chest area.

Taking the windbreaker off and tied it around her waist, she noticed the strange gaze both Ann and Ren gave her. "Uh... What's wrong?"

"Well, Suzui..." Trailing off, the delinquent cleared his throat as he glanced at her t-shirt. "You have some... interesting choice of T-shirt."

"Uh... yeah, Ren has a point..." Ann shuttered, quickly giving Ren suspicious glances. For a split second, she could see Swan taking over Shiho's place and... it didn't seem odd.

Noticing how awkward the atmosphere between them was, Shiho realized what's going on and decided to act stupid for now. "Interesting choice of T-shirt? Thank you for the compliment, Amamiya," She answered with a smile, noticing a certain blonde boy running toward them.

"S-sorry guys! I slept over..." Ryuji said between heavy breath, holding his knees as support as he rapidly breathed. "How late am I?"

"Ten minutes," Ren deadpanned, pulling out his phone to double-check on his words. "Yeah, ten minutes."

"At least it's not like half an hour later, amirite?" The ex-runner shrugged, earning a hard smack from Ann. "Ow! What's that for, Ann?"

"How dare you to say that, Ryuji," The model glared at him, taking out her phone and checked the time. "Thankfully, we still have some time before the time we booked."

"Then let's not waste more time then," Ren announced, pushing his glasses that it reflected the light from outside.

Nodding to each other, the group was about to go on their way and went to Wilton when Ryuji suddenly stopped and raised an eye on Shiho.

"Uh... Suzui, Ichijo's not comin' with us, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, he told me he had some 'personal business' he had to deal with," Shiho nodded. "What's the matter, Sakamoto?"

"Nothin' too serious, I just saw him when I was comin'," Ryuji answered, shrugging. "He was bringin' some flower with him, I thought he was goin' to give it you or somethin' like that."

"Well... I did ask him to come with us," The volleyball player sighed, resting her hands in her hot pant's pocket. "Akira just said that he would only bring down the mood, on top of his personal business."

"That's weird," Ren commented, pushing his glasses. "But anyway, we really need to go now."

With that said, the four continued their way to Wilton.

* * *

And just as she hoped and wanted, Shiho was having the meal of her life in Wilton.

Taking a deep bite of the chocolate cake on her plate, the volleyball player couldn't help but moan in bliss.

"It's SO GOOD!" She exclaimed, followed by another bite to the chocolate cake. "Ann, try this one!"

"I know!" Ann nodded in return, pointing at the waffle on her own plate. "But I had to finish this one first! Then there's that one, and that one..."

Scanning the plates of dessert right in front of the model, Ryuji just cringed in response. "Dude, how can you even finish that?"

"The same goes for your meat collection!" Shiho retorted as she pointed to the huge piece of pork resting on his plate, and Ann nodded in agreement. "You're just as bad as ours."

"In Ryuji's defense, he was an athlete, thus he needed more calories to burn through." Ren shrugged, feeding Morgana another Sashimi. "But... Ann, shouldn't you maintain a good body shape? You're a model, after all."

"Nah, she's that type of person that has a bottomless pit of a stomach," The runner deadpanned, glancing at Ann's stomach for a split second before returning to his bro. "I remember that she used to love to consume chocolate, but never saw a bit of fat on in her body."

Morgana raised an eyebrow on Ryuji's comment, but didn't fully comment as Shiho's here. However, Ann widened her eyes in total shock, almost dropping the waffle on her lap.

"Uh..." Hanging her mouth open while a deep shade of crimson crept onto her face, Ann awkwardly laughed and looked away. "...Never thought that you're this focus on me, hehe..."

"...Sakamoto, you're walking on that line between 'romantic' and 'creepy', y'know?" Shiho deadpanned, unintentionally shivered from the thought of someone being this focused on her as well.

For a brief second, Akira's face suddenly popped up in her mind.

"Huh, you have a childhood crush on Ann or something?" Ren casually asked, trying his best to hold the smirk on his face as Ryuji visually blushed.

"Wha-"

"...I'm going to get something to drink," Sighing to herself, the volleyball player stood up and went to grab some drinks, leaving the four thieves alone.

Looking around and found the drink machine, Shiho sighed and filled her a cup of water and drank it all in one go. Yes, coming to Wilton with Ann was great, but... seeing that everyone other then they were wearing luxurious dresses and suit, she just felt out of place here.

"I guess the reality is always worse than your imagination..." Murmuring to herself, she was about to fill another cup when someone else came to her side with his own cup.

"At least now I know how does it feel to be a staff member..." The person- a boy similar to her age with dark-brown mid-length hair and in the staff's uniform filled his own cup with water and drank it all at once as well. "...O-oh sorry, I didn't see you here."

"I-it's fine, it's not like you bother me or anything..." Trailing off, the volleyball player took another full look on the boy before widening her eyes in realization. "Oh wait, you looked familiar..."

"Hmm?" He replied with a raised eye.

"...I think I saw you on the TV or something before," Shiho said, nodding to herself as she tried to remember the name of that person. "I think his name was Yanagishita something..."

"You mean Yanagishita Hajime?" The boy asked with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh... that's me."

"...Wow, I didn't expect to meet a celebrity here," She scanned Hajime's entire feature again, noticing that he was wearing a staff's uniform out of anything. "But, why are you wearing a staff's uniform? Aren't you... 'the detective prince of the cooking world'?"

"God... that sound so stupid... At least call me 'the cooking prince' or something like that..." Trailing off, the boy avoided her curious gaze, kept rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, I was here because they need help and short on staff, and the main chef here was a friend with Gilles... So now I'm here."

"That was unfortunate," Shiho giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Yeah, very unfortunate..." Trailing off, Hajime glanced at her clothing raised an eye. "But it's unusual to see someone around my age to be here, this place is usually filled with... those people." He shrugged, gesturing to the others around them.

"Um... I did feel a bit out of place here," She sighed, pointing at the T-shirt she's wearing. "It was me and my friend's dream to come here, but now..."

"I know that feeling," The cooking prince smiled, crossing his arms. "Feeling disappointed for something you've desired for so long, or just out of place in general-"

"There you are, Hajime!"

However, before he could finish his words, another staff walked up to them out of breath. "The chef's hand just got burnt, we need you to help us with the cooking department!" He exclaimed, using his knees as support.

"Huh?! You're serious?!" Hajime blinked, staring at his temporary colleague shocked. "Well, I guess my shift ain't gonna end for a while..."

"But being burnt..." Trailing off, he tried his best to hold his hand's shiver, but Shiho could still notice it.

Sighing out loud, he gave Shiho a sheepish smile. "I guess I was needed, but also, I'm sorry for taking your time." He apologized, following the staff member and left the hall.

Returning the same sheepish smile to him, Shiho watched Hajime left with the staff before realizing something. "Great, I forgot to ask him for a selfie or a signature..." She facepalmed, returning to the table.

However, as she returned to the table, the volleyball player overheard Ann talking with Ren and Ryuji, with Ryuji showing them a website on his phone.

"I think most people don't believe it, but some of them actually seem grateful. Look at this." He grinned.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website...?" Ann looked at the phone with a curious glance, typing the same URL on her phone too. "Wow, I never expect someone would even make a website about us."

"Yeah," Ren agreed with a nod, scrolling through the comments with a smile. "Looking at the comment... it's just... wow."

Inwardly smiling on their conversation, Shiho quickly pretended that she didn't hear their conversation and approached them. "What're you all talking about?" She asked, surprising everyone.

"O-oh! We're just talking about some website we found about the Phantom Thief," Ren hastily lied, showing her the website on his phone. "Here, someone just made a website about it."

"Really? That's interesting," Raising an eye in curiosity, the volleyball player took a closer look at the website. "'Thank you, Phantom Thief', 'Thank you for giving us hope.'..."

Inwardly smiling at those comments, she opened the website on her phone and saved the link to show it to Akira later. 'How would Akira react to those comments?' She thought, imagining the joy on his face when he saw those supportive comments.

However, her train of thought was interrupted as Ann suddenly stood with widened eyes. "Wait! I forgot about something!"

Startled at her sudden action, Ryuji almost spat out his drink in shock. "Stop scarin' us like this, 'kay?"

"What is it, Ann?" Ren calmly asked, raising an eye in confusion.

"We have a time limit for the buffet!"

"Time limit?!" Shiho exclaimed, staring at the model in a dumbfounding manner. "Why didn't you tell us before?!"

"I forgot about it!"

"Oh great..." Ryuji sighed, glancing at the time on his phone. "How long was it?"

"One hour to be exact, and I still have a lot of desserts to try out!" Facepalming at her own forgetness, Ann hastily grabbed her plate and rushed back to the main hall. Leaving the others staring at him with a deadpanned look.

"...I have nothing to say about this," Shiho plainly commented.

"Me neither," Ren facepalmed, followed by a nod of agreement from Ryuji.

* * *

Watching the amount of food Ryuji and Ann brought upon the table, Shiho couldn't help herself but gulp. "Ann, are you fine with eating it all?" She hesitantly asked, pointing at the desserts she got.

"No, I brought some for you as well!" The model responded while shaking her head, taking a huge bite to the fifth chocolate waffle. "Besides, we're on a time limit here!"

"It's a once in a lifetime thing!" Ryuji agreed with a nod, enjoying his steak with the most joy they've ever seen from him. "This is delicious!"

"Yeah! So happy…" Ann moaned as she took in another chocolate cake, a wide smile crept onto her face.

Ren just looked at them with an amused look, pulling out his phone and took a photo of the scene before him. "Ahh, the good old clueless duo..." He murmured to himself, struggling to hold his giggling.

"Seriously, Amamiya?" Shiho deadpanned. "You're being too kind, 'Idiot couple' sounds better."

Ann and Ryuji only widened their eyes at them, their mouth hung wide open in shock. "Shi-Shiho! You're so mean!" The model exclaimed with a big pout.

"But it's real, Ann," The volleyball player just shrugged, shifting her gaze onto Ryuji. "After all, Ryuji dyed his hair just to keep the attention away from you, right?"

"Wha-" Feeling a heavy blush crept onto his cheeks, the ex-runner shuttered for a few moments. "H-how did you know that!"

"Akira told me, and it's not his fault," She replied with another casual shrug, taking another dip to her water. "We're talking about meaningless things, and he just mentioned it."

Observing the entire event played out before him, Ren raised an eye at Shiho's words. "...Never thought you're this close with Ichijo."

"U-uh... We just clicked," Shiho awkwardly laughed, hastily shifted her gaze between the three. "I don't know, he just has some kind of awkward energy that... was... attractive?"

"Attractive, huh?" Ann smirked.

"Sh-shuddup," Murmuring to herself, the volleyball player glanced at the clock above, trying to divert the attention away from her. "Oh wait, we're still on our time limit, right?"

Widening their eyes, the... clueless duo nimbly returned to their trays of food, also shoving some of them to Ren and Shiho as well. However, there was a thought that kept lingering in her mind. And Ren's comment only worsened it.

Even though now they're both close as friends and as partners in the Metaverse, there was still too much she didn't know about Akira. And his weird attitude for these today's just... made her more concerned for him.

It just felt if she still didn't know who Ichijo Akira was.

* * *

[About fifteen minutes earlier, Aoyama Cemetery]

Walking down the road covered with Sakura pedal, Akira looked down at his flower. Camellia and Aster, just the same as his last month's visit, then the month before, and another month before that.

"Devotion and patience..." Murmuring to himself, he couldn't help but gave out a short sigh. "...Quite ironic for me, visiting her every month."

The scenery beside him was beautiful to say the least, the cherry blossom was just flourishing and the petal dropping from the tree... It did remind him of that day, the day Minato mysteriously passed away six years ago.

"Well, at least I did have some good news for her..." Pulling out his phone and switched the song his earphone was playing, Akira continued his walk. "But... why am I still going to her every month? At this point... it's just stupid."

Sighing to himself as he knew that no answer was going to pop up, he decided to change his mind into something else for a distraction. "I wonder how's Shiho doing? She's probably having fun with everyone else."

"After all, a buffet in Wilton is a once in a lifetime thing to do."

Arriving at the place he visited monthly, Akira gently placed the flower beside the gravestone. _'Akashi Kimiko, 2000 - 2015'_ It craved, clearly visible from the grey marble stone.

Resting his hands in his pockets, Akira stared at the gravestone for a few long moments. "...Hey, Kimiko," He greeted with a faint smile. "I know you must be annoyed to see me this often."

Receiving no reply, he continued his own monologue. "Well, I just don't want you to be lonely."

"It must be lonely, right? Stuck in this place, seeing your end wasn't justified..." Trailing off, the amateur writer stared at his own feet for a few seconds, trying to come up with a proper way to respond. "But at least, now Kamoshida is behind bars, paying for his sins."

"After all these times, I finally have something positive to say." Akira stopped for a second, recollecting his thought. "On top of that, I got myself a puppy, her name is 'Paff'."

"She's really cute! Like... she always curled up on my laps when I was on my laptop, when she calls me for food," Widening his smile, he awkwardly swayed from side to side. "I just wish you could meet her, Paff had the same shade of brown with your hair, y'know."

"And don't worry about Shiho, I... she's doing alright," Nodding to himself, he looked down onto his shoes. "I'm so happy that I can see her smiling again, with Takamaki by her side."

"Kinda ironic, isn't it? I saved her, but couldn't save you," Laughing at the irony of his own words, Akira stopped again. "But... well... you guessed it, I was a part of bringing Kamoshida to justice."

"Even though I thought that I did it for Shiho, for everyone..." Looking at the vast view of the cemetery, his lips slightly trembled. "But... it felt empty. It felt... bittersweet at best. I didn't tell this to anyone else, of course."

"You see, ever since Kamoshida's confession of crime, I've been thinking why did I felt empty," Clutching his hands in the pocket, Akira bit his lips to keep his voice from cracking. "I found out why."

"Bringing Kamoshida to justice won't bring you back."

Feeling a single teardrop tracing along his chin, he hastily wiped it off with his arm. "Remember that stupid band you wanted to make with me, Shinji and Naoko?"

"I wished I agreed with you."

"As someone once said, 'Happiness is only realized when there are only memories left'... I ju-just..."

Feeling the emotions overwhelmed him, Akira broke down and wept. Yes, the reason for their suffering, Kamoshida was brought to justice and paying for his sins, but... it just felt empty.

Deep down, he knew why he was feeling this way. Kimiko was dead, and nothing could bring her back, and those possibilities were just what it meant, 'possibilities', a What-if. And it's just like what happened before.

He couldn't do anything for his family, for Uncle Takeharu, for Minato-San, for Kimiko.

However, his train of thought was cut off when a girl's voice rang behind him. "It's embarrassing, Akira."

Looking up, and through the tears, Akira saw a girl with neck-length chocolate-colored hair, the same shade as Kimiko's hair. However, the purple glasses and the bandages on her face set her apart from Kimiko. And Akira quickly recognized her.

"N-Naoko..." Hastily wiping the tears with his arms, he awkwardly stood up greeted her. "Why are you here?"

"Because I was dead-set that you're going to be here, and I wanted to apologize," She deadpanned, switching her focus to the Camellia and Aster laying beside the gravestone. "Even though it's a bit too much to visit her every month, but I appreciate the effort."

Akira only nodded in response. "I-yeah, I just... sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault," Naoko sighed, adjusting her glasses. "It should be me to apologize, blaming everything on you and Shinji."

"At least... thank you for making Kamoshida paying for his crime," She said softly, giving him a grim smile. "I heard about that 'Phantom Thief of Heart', is it you?"

"No, it's not me..." Akira trailed off. "But... Kimiko's still dead, I still failed her. It's my fault-"

Before he could finish his word, Naoko stopped him with a harsh glare. "You didn't, it's all Kamoshdia fault."

"Now he's behind bars, just stop blaming everything to yourself."

"I know, you wanted to say 'it's unhealthy', right?" The amateur writer nodded subtly.

"No," She denied, hesitantly patted his shoulder. "Do you think sis would want you to do just this for her?"

"Huh?"

Closing her eyes for a few moments, Naoko adjusted her glasses again. "You did it for that 'Shiho' girl, and she probably meant a lot to you."

"R-right, she..." Akira trailed off, unintentionally avoiding her gaze. "To be honest, I don't know. I mean, I did care about her, but-"

"Don't give me a 'but'," She interrupted him, staring right into his eyes. "If you care about someone, don't you dare to give yourself any excuses."

However, seeing no response from him, Naoko awkwardly looked away. "...That was a quote from sis, by the way."

"...Sounds like something she would say," Akira shrugged, a hint of a smile crept on to his face before falling down. "But... what about Shinji?"

"We... we haven't talked since he transfers to Kosei, and it's mostly my fault," She said with a grim look, glancing at her watch for a moment. "I'm still looking for a time to properly apologize to him, but... mom told me she needs help for the shop."

"Just... don't disappoint sis," With that said, she gave Akira another glance before leaving. Now alone again, Akira looked up with an uncertain expression, into the blue sky above.

"'Don't you dare to give yourself any excuses'..." Murmuring to himself, the amateur writer just shook his head, slightly widening his smile. "Even you are encouraging me to go after Shiho... to move on."

"It's not easy to do, you know?" Resting his hands in his pocket, Akira was about to leave when someone else walked up to his side, also holding her own set of flowers.

"Just as I thought..." Hinaki murmured, standing by his side and gazed at the gravestone.

"...Higashikuni-San? Why are you here?" Akira questioned, raising an eye at her choice of flowers. "Sunflower and Jasmine? It's a bit too expensive to spend on-"

"It's fine," The student council president interrupted him, placing the flower by the grave. "And before you ask, those sunflower is for the radiance between you and Akashi-San, I apologize if you misunderstood it."

"Well, I didn't misunderstand it or anything like that," He shrugged. "But, why are you here? There's no reason for you to be here."

"I wanted to ask for some advice from you, Ichijo-San," Hinaki explained matter-of-factly. "It is about Izumo-Kun."

"Shinji? W-what did he do?"

"No, he didn't do anything wrong," Shaking her head, the student council president kept her gaze at the ground. "I thought asking you to transfer to Kosei would help Izumo-Kun's mental state to improve a bit, but it just did the polar opposite."

"Oh, that talk..." Trailing off, Akira gazed at Kimiko's grave for a few moments before turning to Hinaki. "And um... I don't think talking about this in front of Kimiko is appropriate, maybe we-"

"Maybe we should talk somewhere else?" Hinaki finished for him, nodding in agreement. "I know a restaurant nearby, and I assume you still haven't eaten anything?"

"Yeah, didn't have time," He nodded, shifting his gaze back to the gravestone with an uncertain expression.

'It's never easy to move on, Kimiko...' Akira thought bitterly, tearing his glance away from the gravestone and followed Hinaki as they walked through the cemetery, and toward the restaurant she mentioned.

(To Be Continued)


	14. A New Hopeful Start

For Akira, Hinaki's sudden contact with him was just... strange to say the least. It wasn't unpleasant for him, she seemed like a person with a good heart, after all. However, she also felt like someone who's out of touch, and struggling with this flaw herself.

And their talk only confirmed this.

After about 20 minutes of a train ride to Ginza, Hinaki brought him to a luxurious-looking French restaurant called 'Le Varoux'. If Akira had to use one sentence to describe that restaurant, it would be 'Too much for me'.

Sitting down on a table with Hinaki, the amateur writer took a good look at the restaurant's interior design. Even though it's just afternoon, but the restaurant's dim lighting gave an illusion that they were here for a dinner, if not for the glass window showing the scenery outside.

"Well, I didn't expect we're going to have lunch here," Akira commented, feeling a bit awkward with the fact of being in this kind of restaurant. "Ain't it a bit too much for a lunch?"

"Not that much," Hinaki shook her head in response. "Maybe it is only because I am familiar with the owner here, I am used to coming for lunch or dinner."

Nodding in response, the amateur writer noticed a foreign-looking man walking up to them. From the chef outfit that man was wearing, Akira assumed that he's probably the main chef of this restaurant.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Hime-Sama," He greeted the president with a warm smile. "Bringing a friend?"

widening her eyes in slight surprise, Hinaki turned over to the main chef and returned his smile. "Oh Gilles, it's good to see you."

"Gilles?" Akira asked, noticing how the foreign-looking called Hinaki. 'And 'Hime-Sama'?'

"He's Gilles Lalande, the owner and the main chef of Le Varoux," The president introduced to Akira, before turning her focus back onto Gilles. "Since you are here and talking with us, Hajime is doing your job, right?"

The owner of Le Varoux chuckled at Hinaki's assumption, shaking his head. "Nah, he's over in Wilton. Those guys over there really need his help."

"Wilton...?" Trailing off, a thought popped up in Akira's mind. 'Shiho's probably enjoying her time over there... Well, that's the best for her.'

Quickly shaking this thought off, the amateur writer snapped back to reality. "Okay, just take a break for everything, Akira," He murmured to himself. "We'll think about them later."

On the other hand, Hinaki noticed him zoning out with a slightly worried look. "Well um... I think we should order our food," She hastily said, turning back to Akira. "Ichijo-kun, what do you want for lunch?"

"Huh? Should I have a menu or something along those lines to look at?" Akira asked with a raised eye, feeling the atmosphere around him visually became much more awkward. "On second thought, I would like to try out what you recommend, Mr. Lalande."

"My recommendation..." Trailing off, Gilles rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he nodded, glancing back to Hinaki. "What about you, Hinaki?"

"Same for me, please."

Nodding again, the main chef then walked away and left the two alone. To be honest, if there was anything to describe Akira's feeling, it would be 'out of place'. Seeing Hinaki talking with someone she's familiar with while you just felt... like a third wheel, if he had to say.

As Gilles left and went back to the kitchen, the president turned back to the person sitting opposite of her. "Now that is out of the way, I guess we can talk about what I come for."

"Yeah..." Trailing off for a split moment, Akira pondered. "So what can I do or say to help you?"

"I... I think I should tell you what exactly happened, so you would have a better picture," Nodding to herself, Hinaki recounted the last time she and Shinji had any conversation. "After our talk in Shujin, Izumo-kun heard about this because of rumors, he then confronted me and... it turned out badly."

"...Okay," The amateur writer nodded. "So... I guess he really didn't change too much, still the same old Shinji."

"Then can you tell me about who Izumo-kun was?"

"Well, before everything about Kamoshida happens, he's someone who's full of energy," Akira explained. "Makes total sense considering that he's a drummer himself."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Out of every instrument, drumming is the most physically demanding one," He shrugged. "Unlike something like a guitar, you're required to use both your legs and arms to play the drum."

"And that aspect also translated to his personality, he's someone who would just say things whenever he felt like it," The amateur writer continued. "and most of the time he didn't even think about what in the world he just said."

"So... he didn't mean those harsh words on me?"

"Probably," Akira nodded. "Most of the time he's just going to spill out sarcastic or idiotic things without thinking about it, then I'll just counter it with some remarks."

_"Shut up, Shinji. You're only one point ahead of me in that tycoon game. By the way, what kind of a vice student council president are you?"_

_"The good kind. Jealous that I'm close with Makoto?"_

"And he's someone who kinda likes to brag about small things," He added, feeling a faint smile crept on to his face. "Like I couldn't count how many times he brags about being the Vice-President and close to Nijima..."

"Overall, he's a bit loud-mouth, likes to brag a lot, and always acting on impulse."

Nodding as she processed the information Akira just said, Hinaki pondered for a short while. "But... that still doesn't explain his... reaction toward my attempt..."

"He hates being misunderstood, especially like when someone does something 'for the better of him' without really understand him," Akira replied, leaning back into his seat. "Since it's a bit too personal, so let me spare the details."

"Let just say he didn't have a great childhood, and people always give him looks of pity and surface-level sympathy," He continued. "He doesn't want help from someone who doesn't understand the root of his issue."

"And when those people tried to explain their reason, it just irritates him more."

Crossing her arms and closed her eyes in thought, Hinaki recalled her past action concerning Shinji. It was rather obvious, she was the exact same kind of person he hates. And going to this extent was only going to make him snap.

"Then... other than Akashi's death, is there any more reason that he became this way?" She asked, adjusting her glasses. "Even if I hope so, nothing is going to be simple."

"Yeah... and well..." Trailing off, Akira crossed his arms and thought. "Maybe it's because he felt like he betrayed us."

"Betrayed? Why?"

"...Because we did nothing about Kimiko's situation," The amateur writer reluctantly confessed. "Did he also talked about something similar to that?"

"Did Izumo-kun said something like that..." Trailing off, Hinaki recalled those meeting with him again. "...He said that he transfer to Kosei to run away, and he's a coward."

"Then... he probably did felt that way," Akira sighed, pinching his nosebridge. "Well, I'm not the best person for things like that, since it's a bit hypocritical..."

"But I think the best thing to do is... just literally knock some sense into his thick skull," He sighed again. "But well... I don't think it's possible at this point..."

"I don't want to say it. But right now, there's nothing we can do."

Hinaki was... surprised from this news, to say the least. She came here for advice and a possible way to help Shinji with his problem, not for an answer like this. But in someway, she knew that it was impossible for him to even talk with her at this point.

After all, it was Shinji's own problem, and no one else can help other than himself.

* * *

[Meanwhile, Wilton]

Shiho was... astonished by the food Ann and Ryuji brought back. Even with four people, it was still too much for them to handle.

"Ann, are those really necessary?" Ren asked, scanning the massive slice of cake right in front of her. "I mean, dessert shouldn't be this much, right?"

"Not in my watch," Ann replied with her mouth full of cake and waffles. "Don't you know that we have a sperate place in our stomach to deal with dessert?"

"Yeah, but..."

Before he could think of a response to Ann, Shiho just patted her shoulder with a face of sympathy.

"She's like that, and it's a bit set and stone at this point," She sighed, but no sign of frustration was visible on her face. "Well, I have volleyball to deal with, so it makes sense that I never got too fat. But Ann on the other hand..."

"I have my own way, so don't worry about it, Shiho."

"That's reassuring," The volleyball player deadpanned, decided that she should change the topic to something else. "Anyway, are we going to finish all these foods in time?"

"Not if we just sit here and do nothin'," Ryuji shrugged, taking a large bite into his meat.

"I guess so," Shrugging, Ren decided to join in and grabbed a plate of meat. "Let's hope my stomach would survive this..."

"Don't push yourself too far, Amamiya..." Trailing off, Shiho could only watch Ren suffer in worry. From the increasingly pale face and the sweat building up on his forehead, he didn't look great... no, he doesn't look good in the first place.

However, her worry was cut short when Ann suddenly put a plate of desserts in front of her. "Shiho! I need your help to finish these desserts as too!"

Even though Shiho wanted to refuse and just took a break from the eating, seeing Ann's look of eager kinda just... guilt-tripped her into agreeing? She couldn't think of the right word to describe it without making Ann looked bad.

For a split second, Shiho could finally understand how Akira felt when she insisted to join him.

'So this is how it feels like...' Thinking to herself, she sighed and took the plate from Ann's hand. On the bright side, at least she could help Ann finish all these desserts... right?

With that, the four Shujin students ate their food as quickly as possible, hoping that they could finish them before the time limit. Luckily, they somehow able to finish them in twenty minutes, much faster than they expected.

Leaning into the sofa, Ryuji just laid there like a deflated balloon, "Man... that's way too much..."

"Then don't bring this much," Ren deadpanned, giving out a breath of relief.

"Yeah... I don't even know if I eat any dessert without feeling off anymore..." Shiho trailed off, forcing herself to stand up. "And I really need a refresher right now."

Shaking her head to clear the sense of sickness shrouding her head, the volleyball player went on her way to the restroom. Now finally left alone, Ren and Ryuji both glanced over to Ann, only to see that... she's still eating another piece of chocolate cake.

"How in the world..." Widening their eyes in pure shock, the two bros exchanged a look of bewilderment. In that exact moment, the sheer look exchanged between them held an entire conversation of its own.

What did the two exchanged?

In a nutshell, they just had a deep logical discussion about the impossibility of Ann's bottomless pit of a stomach, then it just sidetracked into a teasing mess from Ren himself.

Noticing the deep 'conversation' between them, Ann looked up from her plate of dessert with a raised eye. "Ren, Ryuji, what's wrong?"

"N-nothin'/nothing!" The two boys yelped in unison, trying their best to reassure her.

* * *

[Back to Akira, Le Varoux]

After knowing that there was no way to help Shinji, the atmosphere around the two was... awkward to say the least. Sitting with someone that you're just somewhat familiar with and having lunch, and the feeling of out-of-place...

However, he had to admit that the food here was fantastic. Well, Le Varoux wasn't a famous restaurant for nothing, even though he felt like it's a bit overprice (just personally).

After having the most awkward lunch of his entire life, Akira and Hinaki found themselves in a struggle to find a topic to talk about. After all, there wasn't really that much common topic for them to talk about.

Seeing how Akira felt uncomfortable here, Hinaki felt a bit of guilt for bringing him here. "...I apologize if you feel out-of-place here, Ichijo-kun," She apologized, swiping her bangs aside. "I was looking forward to an answer... but I shouldn't expect too much out from an unexpected offer like this."

"I... it's fine, I didn't have a plan for today anyway."

"Oh, then..."

"But well, at least I'm not alone today," Sighing to himself, Akira smiled faintly. "So I guess I should thank you, Higashikuni-san."

Widening her eyes in surprise, Hinaki found herself had nothing to say for a long moment. It had been too long since someone being toward her, it felt weird to have someone who even said a 'thank you'.

"O-oh, that was... unexpected," She murmured, before clearing her throat and smiled. "No, I should be the one who says thank you, Ichijou-kun."

Even with the most genuine smile he'd ever seen, Akira could see how she felt guilty. For a split second, he saw Makoto sitting in her place instead.

'Well, they're both student council president...' He thought, remembering the harsh words he once said to Makoto. 'And looking back... I really need to apologize to Nijima...'

However, his trains of thought were interrupted as Hinaki's voice snapped him back to reality. "So... I think I had taken too much time from your day, Ichijo-kun." She said, standing up from her seat. "But still, thank you for answering my questions."

"It's fine, Higishikuni-san, but... I guess there's nothing more to talk about," Akira stood up from his seat and bowed politely. "Well, I really hope Shinji would be alright, and... yeah."

Hinaki didn't answer at first, just sighed with a downcasted look. "...I hope the same thing too."

Nodding to himself, Akira took a few more steps toward the door before suddenly turning back to her. "Oh wait, one more thing."

"What is it, Ichijo-kun?"

"...I can see that you're a good person, just struggling to understand others on an emotional level," He said. "And... I believe that you can do that, not just to Shinji, but everyone."

"It's kinda cheesy, but don't give up, okay?"

With that said, Akira left the restaurant.

* * *

[Back to Shiho]

After some needed refreshment, Shiho stretched as she walked out of the restroom. "How can Ann did it without feeling sick..." She murmured, returning to the floor holding the buffet.

However, just as she's about to approach them, their conversation caught her attention.

"...I wonder if we're out of place here..." Ann murmured, leaning into her sofa.

"I think so..." Ren sighed, crossing his arms as his legs did the same. "I guess we're really a bunch of outcasts, right?"

"Yeah, I'm feelin' the same way," Ryuji nodded, turning to Ren's bag. "Hey, Morgana."

Said not-cat poked out from the bag, looking back at him. "What is it?"

"...Anyone could have a palace, yeah?"

Morgana nodded. "Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?" Ryuji continued, leaning forward in his seat.

"That would be the case."

Eyes darted between both the cat and the ex-runner, Ann gave them both a raised eye. "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

"We had trouble earlier too," The ex-runner sighed. "These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else... I was wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

"...So you want to continue as the Phantom Thief?" Ann asked.

"...I've been thinkin'." Ryuji nodded. "We put a lot of work into changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves."

"Plus... those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people."

"...Yeah," Ren nodded, lifting his glasses. "There's already a lot of victims we saved from Kamoshida, but there's always gonna be another person like him... I can't just let it slide, not for a single bit."

"...I agree," Ann said, look downcasted as the memories of just a few weeks ago surfaced. "If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to the same as I was before..."

"Because of that, Shiho almost..." Trailing off, she took a deep breath to resolve herself. "I can't let another person experience those things again, never ever."

Meanwhile, Shiho just stood behind a corner and overheard them. Even though she felt a bit guilty for doing so, she didn't felt like it's a conversation to take part in.

However, hearing Ann using their unpleasant past as fuel and anchor for her resolve, she couldn't help but smile. "Ann..."

"Lady Ann..." Morgana smiled, but quickly changed into a stern expression. "Anyway, you're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves."

"But... we're gonna fight the shadows again, right?" Ann asked, feeling a bit of hesitation inside.

"...Indeed, it's inevitable."

"We can menage 'em, it's fine," Ryuji reassured her, giving her a goofy but bright grin. "Especially with Jester and Swan helpin' us."

"Yeah, we can definitely do it," Ren nodded. "And I want to help people too."

The not-cat smirked. "Heh... Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now."

"Fledglings?" Ann giggled. "Haha, that's actually pretty fitting for us."

"All right!" Ryuji announced. "It's settled!"

"We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!" He grinned, turning his focus onto Ren. "Right, bro?"

Shiho, still overhearing them behind the corner, couldn't help but giggled a bit at Ryuji's enthusiasm. However, she noticed somebody else also overhearing them, and...

It was Hajime, looking at them with a faint smile.

"So they are the Phantom Thieves on the news..." He murmured, but loud enough for Shiho to hear him. "Well, I didn't expect to overhear them, especially just came out for a break..."

"But well... Keep on keeping on, Phantom Thieves. I'm rooting for ya."

With that said, he left them alone and back into his work, also leaving Shiho with widened eyes.

They just got found, by someone who's just at the right place at the right time. Even though she was thankful that Hajime seemed to root for them, but... this is definitely going to be a long-term problem if it continued.

"This..." Trailing off, it took her a few long seconds before widening her eyes again, even larger this time. "Oh wait, I forgot to ask for a selfie."

Back to the thieves, Ann also straightened up and raised an eye at the delinquent. "...Are you okay being our leader, Ren?"

"Fine by me," Ren shrugged.

"Then it really settled!" Ryuji announced again. "From now on, we're the Phantom Thieves-"

"Where's my say in this?" Morgana deadpanned, but quickly softened. "But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it."

Blinking in surprise, the ex-runner sighed before announcing again. "...Then it's really really settled-"

However, Ryuji's attempt on announcing was interrupted again by Ren. "Oh wait, I think we also need a name. Phantom Thief Of Heart is great, but I want something more."

"Dude..." Ryuji deadpanned.

"Oh right, the name," Ann pondered for a moment. "What about something both cute and luxurious sounding like... The Diamonds?"

"...I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it," The ex-runner sighed, both from his second failed attempt and Ann's suggestion.

"Well, I also have one," Morgana said. "How about 'Tilefish Poele'?"

"...What in the world is that?" Ren plainly commented.

"Tile... uh, what?" Ryuji just blinked in pure confusion.

"That's what I ate earlier," The not-cat smirked. "It's commemorative, no?"

The delinquent just stared at him for a few long seconds. "...Okay, we're definitely not going to use that one."

Feeling that there's no one else who had any good suggestion, Ren leaned back and pondered. "...The Phantoms, how's the sound of that?"

"Yeah, I like it," Ann nodded with a bright smile.

"Me too," Ryuji grinned, pumping his fist. "Okay, then it really really really settled, right?"

"Yeah," Ren nodded.

Feeling that it's the time to finally return to the table, Shiho emerged from her hiding place and acted as natural as possible. "Um... Hey guys, what did I miss?" She asked.

Surprised from her sudden reappearance, the thieves hastily coughed and shook their head in unison. "Oh, it's nothing, Shiho," Ann said.

"Okay, then I think we're about to leave, right?"

"About to leav-" Stopping himself in mid-sentence, Ryuji widened his eyes as he looked at the clock above. "Oh shit, the time is up!"

"Huh?!" Ann yelped, quickly packing her stuff up. "But I still have a lot of things to try-"

"We'll try them out next time, or as I hope so," Ren sighed, looking back to Shiho again. "Um... Suzui-san, I apologize that-"

"Uh... what are you apologizing?"

"Well..." Trailing off, the delinquent just stayed silent and looked away. "Anyway, we should get going."

With that said, they packed their things up and left the hotel. And as they're on the way back to their home, Shiho didn't waste any time and texted Akira.

**Shiho: Hey, you're here?**

The response came just after seconds.

**Akira: Yeah, what's wrong?**

**Shiho: Oh, it's nothing too serious, just...**

**Shiho: You're free now?**

**Akira: Yeah, I just back to Shibuya from Ginza.**

**Shiho: Meet me at the station, is that cool with you?**

**Akira: Yeah, sure.**

Closing the iM messenger, Shiho tapped Ann's shoulder and gained their attention. "Sorry guys, but I had to go first."

"Huh?" Tilting her head in confusion, Ann just blinked. "Why, Shiho?"

"I have something to talk with Akira," Feeling that any more info would either make this felt awkward or her being suspicious, the volleyball player decided to keep it here. "So... sorry, but I had to go now."

Without another word, she hastily left them and ran toward Shibuya Station.

* * *

Standing in the station square, Akira looked around in a furrowed brow.

"What did Shiho wanted to talk about..." Trailing off, he took out his phone again and checked if there were any new messages. "...Well, she didn't say anything after I say 'sure'..."

However, before he could finish, the sound of footsteps with faint panting approached him. Glancing at the direction of those sounds, it was Shiho running toward him.

"I'm sorry if I did keep you waiting, Akira," She apologized, much to his surprise.

"Uh... I only waited for five minutes, at most I think," Akira lied, not wanting to make her felt guilty.

In reality, he waited for her like about... fifteen minutes, at least.

"Anyway, what do you want to talk about, Shiho?"

The volleyball player took a moment to rearrange her breath, "...They're going to keep being Phantom Thieves," She said.

"...Okay, then..." Akira trailed off, still somewhat perplexed that what she wanted to say. "I mean, I somewhat expected that."

"But... what about us?"

"Us..." Looking down at his feet, the amateur writer found himself unable to give a clear answer.

To be honest, he didn't really think about continuing this. Yes, they had the power to change someone's heart, but... this road wouldn't be an easy one to go on. Just like Yu told him, their effort to solve that case didn't go well for most of the time.

...But that's life, nothing would ever go according to the plan. Akira didn't know why, but the words of Elizabeth popped up in his mind, after not seeing her for all this time.

' _When the time comes, you'll know what you can do..._ '

"So this the time, huh?" Murmuring at himself, Akira couldn't help but sigh with a brief smile.

"Uh... Akira?"

"O-oh, I was just... something popped up in my mind," He shrugged. "Well, if we're keep being Phantom Thieves, that means we're going to fight again, right?"

"...Yeah, I think so," Shiho reluctantly nodded, as much as she didn't want to admit that. "But we can deal with them. I mean, as long as you're with me..."

"...Then that means... you've decided?"

"Right, I wanted to continue being the Phantom Thieves," The volleyball player nodded with determination. "I... I don't want to back to being the old Suzui Shiho again."

"I was lucky that you're there when I needed help, to save me..." Trailing off, she tightened her fist. "But there are people who don't the luxury to do so, they don't have someone like what you are to me."

"If no one stands up, then who's going to help them?"

"...I get what you mean," Akira nodded, resting his hands in his pockets. "I guess we both don't want another person to end up like Kimiko, right?"

He looked up into the sky, the warm sky as the sun started to set. "Let's do it, so no one would end up like Kimiko."

"Akira..."

"...Today's one hell of an emotional rollercoaster..." Shaking his head to clear his thought, the amateur writer looked back to Shiho. "Well, I guess we do need a name, right?"

"Y-yeah, Amamiya also picked one of their own."

"Then... what about 'The Fools'?" He suggested. "I mean, Fools in Tarot card means spontaneity and free spirit. And we change the heart of evil person because of our own reason, so... kinda fitting, right?"

"...I like this name," Shiho nodded. "Then it's settled then, right?"

"Right." Akira nodded in return, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, let's hope the road ahead won't lead us to somewhere bad."

* * *

Looking at the sunset outside of his window, a blonde boy sighed as he turned his focus back to the matter on his hand. And on the screen of his laptop was showing someone... Mitsuru.

 _"Kamisaki, I'm sorry that you had to leave Ayanagi city and your friends,"_ She apologized, feeling guilty for what had to be done. _"But you are the only person Shido didn't know from the Operative."_

"I understand, Kirijo-san," Kamisaki sighed, forcing a faint smile to lessen her guilt. "Besides, I guess coming to Tokyo would be a much-needed breather from what's happening over there."

 _"I hope so... especially with Shirogane and Akihiko's help..."_ Trailing off, the CEO swiped aside her bangs, revealing her left eye. _"I think you had read the file we sent you, right?"_

"Yeah, the file about your cousin, and that... thing living inside him," He nodded, opening a file laying in front of him.

It was a detailed document documenting Akira's life and mental situation, but a lot of it was mysteriously blacked out. However, there was a single name that didn't get blacked out.

'Unknown Deity 002- Codename 'Aion''

"Aion... well, that's scary enough for a codename alone..." Kamisaki murmured to himself, closing the file. "Who knows what it's actually called..."

 _"And that's why I was reluctant to send you to Tokyo,"_ Mitsuru sighed. _"If it was something akin to Nyx's level, or even Erebus... I don't know what we can do to stop it."_

"Yeah, but I'll manage."

 _"Indeed, I just hope that you don't need to face it at all, or face it with other Persona users."_ With that said, Mitsuru cut the call and left the blonde boy alone.

Once the call had ended, Kamisaki leaned back into his chair and sighed. Even though he was sent here about a week ago, but he still wasn't used to living in Tokyo.

Pulling out his phone, he smiled at the text his old classmates sent him.

**Shin: Hey Keigo! Remember to tell us how's Tokyo when you're back in Ayanagi!**

**Jun: I know brother already said what I wanted to say, but take care!**

**Takuro: Take care, bro!**

**Magumi: Well, class' going to boring without you, but have fun over there!**

**Kanaru: I hope the best for you, Keigo-kun.**

"At least they didn't just forget me, that's a plus," Murmuring to himself, Keigo leaned back to his seat and looked to the sunset outside. He wondered, how would his job go?

* * *

On the other hand, inside Togo Household, Togo Hifumi just sat in her room and stared at the Shogi-board. For some time now, she had been struggling to find the drive to continue on.

"Why did I still doing this?" She asked out loud, internally hoping someone would answer her.

But there's no one.

Maybe that's the curse of bearing the Togo name? She couldn't help but think, because... that's the reality for her.

Shaking her head to hold the tears from falling, Hifumi turned on the television in her room. She just wanted to find something to put her mind on something else, so she wouldn't need to think about this.

_"On today's news, the surprise confession of crime from former Olympic winner Kamoshida Suguru..."_

"...There's nothing interesting on the news either..." She murmured, grabbing the remote, and decided to change the channel.

However, something else caught her attention. It was an interview with a Shujin student. Even though it was heavily blurred and censored, but the crimson ponytail really stood out.

 _"...I never thought Mr. Kamoshida would be someone like this..."_ The student said, her voice was heavily distorted and altered to the point of unrecognizable. _"But I'm thankful for it, and the Phantom Thieves as well."_

"...Phantom Thieves?"

 _"Even though I believe that people should change on their own term, and not by an outside force,"_ She continued. _"But Mr. Kamoshida would only keep doing those things unless someone else stops him."_

For a second, a thought suddenly surfaced in her mind, "...Maybe..."

Grabbing her phone from the study table, Hifumi quickly searched about the Phantom Thieves. And her eyes landed on a lone website, a certain one.

"The Phantom... Aficionado... Website..."

* * *

Walking around in the station square, Kitagawa Yusuke was struggling to find inspiration for his next work. He thought that if he went out for a breather would help. But unfortunately, it didn't seem so.

Sighing to himself, he was about to leave when a group of people at his age caught his attention. Especially the only girl in that group.

"So, we really need to talk about Shiho and Akira," That certain girl— Ann said to Ren and Ryuji, oblivious to Yusuke watching them from aside. "They became really close in a very short time."

"Yeah," Ren nodded. "Maybe they're secretly dating?"

"Renren's right, it's a possibility," Ryuji agreed, crossing his arms. "Like, did they just always go our on their own?"

"I don't know, they're definitely not going to just sneak out to..." Trailing off, the model couldn't help but blush from the idea in her mind. What in the world was she thinking?!

"...Ann? You're okay?" Raising an eye in confusion, Ryuji waved his hand right in front of her. "Ann?"

"H-huh? O-oh, it's nothing!"

Ren just deadpanned, lifting his glasses so the light reflected. "From your reaction, I suspect you're thinking about something impure, Ann."

"Wha- You're such a jerk!" Cheek reddened from both embarrassment and slight anger, Ann stomped right on his feet, earning a cry of pain from the usually fearless and cocky leader.

Ryuji, on the other hand, just sweatdropped at the sudden horror unfold right in front of his eyes. "...Note to self, never make Ann angry..."

After that small... exchange, the three kept going on their way, disappearing from Yusuke's view. However, the image of Ann had somewhat... engraved in his mind.

It reminded him of... Sayuri, the reason he started painting.

Remembered that it's about time to return to the shack, Yusuke hastily went on his way. However, he internally hoping that he would see her again, or even meeting her.

(To be continued.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after a month or so, Chapter 14 of Another Thief: Royal Fools is here!
> 
> Well, we finally wrapped up the Kamoshdia arc, and onto the Madarame arc! However, on The Fool's side, they're going to have their own problems to handle... And the short snippet of the character relevant in the next arc indicated that things aren't going to be easy.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the story so far, comments and kudos are definitely welcome!


	15. Unexpected Arrivals

[6th May, Morning]

Walking by the plain walkway he had passed by hundreds of times, Akira raised an eye as he overheard two students talking about something.

 _"Yo, do ya know that there's another transfer student?"_ One student asked, leaning by the walls next to the vending machine.

_"Another one?! But- ain't there's already two of them?!"_

'Another transfer student...' Trailing off in his mind, Akira just felt a bit happy for that student. 'At least he or she didn't need to deal with Kamoshida.'

_"I dunno, man," He shrugged. "I heard some rumor that he's from Ayanagi City though. I mean ain't that place get tied with some kind of massive terrorist attack or somethin'?"_

_"Dude, don't scare me, man,"_ The other student shivered, rubbing the back of his neck. _"Anyway, let's just hope he's nice."_

_"Yeah, me too."_

Watching the two of them left their spot and went on their way, Akira only felt a bit interested in that new transfer student. It was already a weird time to transfer to Shujin in the first place. But after Kamoshida's fallout...

"Well, there's no point for me to worry about those things."

Shaking his head, Akira resumed his walk to the school.

* * *

[Morning, Class 2-D]

The day went on as normal for everyone, a surprise since Kamoshida's confession was merely a few days ago. Leaning back into his seat, Akira kept his gaze toward the scenery outside. It's not like anything is interesting for him to pay attention to, right?

Clearing her throat, Kawakami clapped her hand and gained everyone's attention. "Okay class, today we have a new transfer student into our class."

Upon her surprise announcement, the class suddenly erupted into a mess of whispering and murmurs.

_"Wait, another transfer student?!"_

_"And I thought Amamiya was bad enough..."_

_"Wait, I heard that the new transfer student is from Ayanagi..."_

_"Ain't that place had a massive terrorist attack or something like that?"_

Akira, on the other hand, was only mildly interested in the new transfer student. "Ayanagi... huh."

"Quiet class. Please let him do his introduction, then you talk with each other, okay?" The class teacher sighed, gesturing to the door outside. "You can come in now."

The door opened and revealed a young boy in the standard Shujin uniform. Other than the opened jacket and the old-school camera hanging on his chest, there was nothing weird about him...

Other than the fact that he was a blonde, pairing with his square glasses... It really gave out a foreigner vibe. And Akira just widened his eyes in recognization. 'Wait, he's the guy I saw in the Arcade with Aobara!'

Writing his name on the blackboard with a stern and somewhat scribbly handwriting, the new transfer turned around and gave everyone an impassive look.

"My name is **Kamisaki Keigo** , nice to meet you all." He said, bowing politely to everyone.

"Kamisaki-kun's new to Tokyo, so please don't get too harsh on him," Kawakami added, but was interrupted as Keigo gestured at his hair.

"If you're wondering how can I pass the dress code with this blonde hair, it's only because it's natural," He said, "In case you didn't know, I am half-French. And I had a Japanese name because it's from my mother."

Pushing his glasses and saw there's no one wanting to talk, Keigo turned to Kawakami with a slightly apologetic look. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, Ms. Kawakami. You can go on now."

"O... Kay..." Trailing off, the homeroom teacher gulped before scanning through the entire classroom. "So Kamisaki-kun, you'll be sitting at... there." She finished, pointing at the seat in the middle of the classroom, right behind Mishima.

Nodding, Keigo slowly walked to his seat and sat down, taking everything needed for the upcoming lesson. However, the classroom was just in a mess of murmurs and whispers about him, and it didn't seem like it's going to slow down at all.

_"Half-French? So he's basically a male version of Takamaki!"_

_"Dude! You're being disrespectful to both of them!"_

_"Yeah, and Takamaki is one-fourth American, so your point's just bad."_

_"He seems nice, and quite handsome too..."_

_"Yuri, please don't drool on the new transfer, okay?"_

'Typical class 2-D strikes again...' Akira sighed as he shifted his gaze back to the scenery outside, thinking about what should he do during lunchtime. Even though it hadn't been a month since their last meeting, but he kinda wanted to check on Kasumi. But then, there's also Shiho he needed to think about...

"...Well, maybe I just deal with them both," He murmured, not noticing the subtle glance coming from the new transfer.

* * *

[Lunchtime, Canteen]

Sitting in his usual seat with the usual Kasumi, Akira couldn't help but just sighed. Well, now he and Shiho were an official team, but... how could they find more targets? Maybe he could look for requests from the Phan-Site Shiho told him about?

Noticing Akira's downcasted look, Kasumi stopped from her bento and tapped his shoulder. "Something's wrong, Ichijo-Senpai?" She asked, concern written all over her face.

"...It's nothing, just... it's kinda complicated," Akira returned with a faint smile, trying to reassure her. "But well, how's your Golden Week, Yoshizawa-san?"

"It's mostly just training," The gymnast shrugged, but still happy that Akira looked a bit better. "But I heard that there's a new transfer student after me and Amamiya-san, is it true?"

The amateur writer nodded, taking a bite of his Yakisoba Pan. "Yeah, it's in my class, and he is from Ayanagi city."

"So... what he's like?"

"Well, he's a bit straight-to-the-point, at least from the little talk he did have," Akira continued. "He talked very little. But it makes sense since he's new here."

"Hmm... at least he wasn't surrounded with bad rumors about him," Kasumi commented.

"Yeah, he's lucky," The amateur writer nodded. "And the fact that he came here after Kamoshida is gone..."

"Oh right..." Trailing off, the gymnast hastily decided to change the subject. "Anyway, are you and Suzui-senpai... a thing now?"

Widening his eyes in surprise, Akira almost spilled out his lemon tea as a result. "W-what? Where did you get that from?"

"U-um, well... You always talk about her when we're eating together," Kasumi answered, tapping her chin in deep thought. "At least much as I remember."

"...Wait, did I really always talk about Shiho?"

"Right, you did, senpai," She nodded. "And with how you saved her when she tried... to do that, Suzui-Senpai must have a place in your heart."

"U-uh..." Surprised by her logic, and that he really couldn't say anything in return, Akira just nodded in embarrassment. "W-well, she is. It's just... we're still just partners and friends."

"Partners and friends..." Pondering for a moment, Kasumi nodded with a smile of encouragement. "Then I wish you good luck with her then, Ichijo-Senpai!"

Feeling a slight blush crept on his cheek, Akira hastily cleared his throat and gave her a smile of his own. "Y-yeah, wish me luck too."

* * *

[Meanwhile, Courtyard]

While Akira and Kasumi were having their usual lunch together, Shiho was... furious from a 'small' slip-up that Ryuji and Ren made, with Ann on the back trying to calm her down.

"What do you mean that you forgot me!" Shiho exclaimed in anger, crossing her arms. "How in the world that you three took selfies on the buffet, and forgot about me!"

"W-well, we just... forgot about it," Ren shamefully admitted, hesitantly pushing his glasses. "I'm so sorry, Suzui-san."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too, Suzui," Ryuji added, bowing at perfect ninety degrees. "This won't happen again!"

"Do I look like I care about you two not doing this again?" The volleyball player deadpanned, casting a death glare at the two boys. "It's my dream to go to Wilton with Ann, and you two idiot jinx my chance to leave some memory behind!"

Ann, on the other hand, placed her hand on Shiho's shoulder, "S-Shiho, just calm down for a bit. Ren and Ryuji weren't excluding you on purpose," She said with a wry smile.

"I know they're not on purpose, but it's still infuriating!" After a few seconds, Shiho looked down and gave out a long sigh. "I need a walk."

With that said, she left the courtyard without a word. Meanwhile, the three just looked down on her ground, and an aura of sadness surrounded them. And this aura stayed for a long while.

"So..." Crawling out from Ren's schoolbag, Morgana just gave the three a deadpanned glance. "Are we going to stay like this? I was going to talk about how should we continue as the Phantom Thieves."

The response didn't come until a while later, from Ren. "...Well, I guess we should do something to make up for her."

"Definitely, we messed up so bad, dude," Ryuji agreed, unintentionally ignoring Morgana in the process.

"Yeah..." Ann nodded, crossing her arms and leaned on the wall. "I'll ask her what would she wants later."

Seeing the three basically ignored his own existence, Morgana grunted in annoyance and jumped to the table. "Hey! I said I'm going to show you how to continue to be the Phantom Thieves!"

"...O-oh," Ren shuttered, hastily pushing his glasses. "Well, the lunch period is ending, so I guess we should talk about it after school."

"R-Ren! You serious?!" Morgana exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah Renren," The ex-runner nodded, rubbing his hand through his blonde hair. "Morgana, let's just put that 'till after school, okay?"

"Wha-"

"Right, Morgana, the Phantom Thieves' stuff can wait for now," Ann added, forcing the feline to agree with it.

"...Fine, just don't you three dare to miss it, okay?"

* * *

[Afterschool, frontgate]

After the school ended for the day, Akira stretched as he walked out from the gate. Even though it had only been a few days since Kamoshida's confession, but things really felt... refreshing for once. Maybe it just because-

_**RIIIIIING** _

Blinking in surprise, Akira hastily took out his phone and checked who was calling him. "Unknown number?" He thought out loud, accepting the call with slight suspicion. "H-hello? Who is this?"

_"HELLLLLO! How's going Akira?"_

Out of everything he could think of, it was... Elizabeth.

"What in the world?!" Noticing the weird glances other students put on him, the amateur writer quickly went on his way. "E-Elizabeth-san, how the hell can you call me?! I mean-"

_"You mean that the Velvet Room wasn't real, and there's no way I can't contact you in the real world?"_

Akira deadpanned. "I mean you didn't talk to me for a long while now."

 _"O-oh, so that's what you mean,"_ The Velvet Room attendant laughed awkwardly. _"A~nyway, I have found a suitable location for the Velvet room's door to be placed!"_

"Oh, that's fantastic," He smiled. "I didn't forget our promise, Elizabeth-san. You wanted me to show you around-"

_"Akira-kun, your sofa is sooooo comfy! How much does that couch cost?"_

"...What?" The amateur writer just blinked, widening his eyes in pure shock. "Elizabeth-san, what do you mean-"

_"Oh, I forgot to tell you, the door is placed inside your apartment!"_

Well... Akira really didn't expect this.

"WAIT WHAT?!" Practically shouting in his phone in max volume and attracting glanced from passersby, Akira hastily picked up his pace and rushed to the station.

However, he didn't notice Ren and the others on the side of the station square, disappearing into somewhere else.

* * *

[Akira's apartment.]

Rushing in the apartment in a hurry and almost breaking his front door, Akira returned to just see... Elizabeth dancing to one of his own record collection. More precisely, 'Silent Screamer' by Yamashita Tatsuro.

_SILENT SCREAMER_

_A wind from dark, that tears all up, it's_

_SILENT SCREAMER..._

"Woohoo, this is a great song, Akira-kun!" The Velvet attendant laughed in mid-dance, dancing in... a unique type of dance to say the least. "Your music collection is fantastic!"

"Arf!" Even more so, Paff suddenly came out from her bed and ran around her, her tail wiggled in happiness.

Akira, on the other hand, could only stare at her with widened eyes. This scene was just...

"Is it real life?" Murmuring to himself, Akira closed the door behind him before groaning in annoyance. "So... what now?"

"What now?" Tapping her chin in curiosity, Elizabeth just smiled brightly in return. "Well, I think I'm going to stay here!"

"Stay...?" Akira gulped. "You mean you're living in here from now on...?"

She nodded without a second thought, much to his dread. "Yes, I am!"

At this point, the amateur writer was purely speechless. If there WAS a god, it's definitely messing with him for the sake of it. Why couldn't he just live a normal life without being messed with?!

"...This is just..." Murmuring to himself, Akira cleared his throat and decided to just deal with it. "Whatever, if you want to stay here... Fine, just... don't expect me to take care of everything for you."

"That's fantastic!" Elizabeth grinned, remembering something she forgot to tell him. "And oh, the door is inside your... storage room? I'm not sure what that room is, I just saw a lot of stuff in there."

"Yeah, that's my storage room," He sighed, completely in his acceptance phrase of this weird turns of event. "I just put all those... research materials I acquired over the months."

"It's nothing much, just some radio, model guns, books and such," Akira shrugged. "...Even though they cost thousands of yens..."

"Hmm... interesting," Elizabeth nodded, turning her head back to the music player in the living room. "Anyway, please excuse me for expressing my soul to this music..."

With that said, she returned to dancing to the music, leaving Akira trying to live a normal life from now on... Wait, now he remembered a serious thing he had to deal with. His routine call with Mitsuru, and with Elizabeth staying with him...

"...God's never going to leave me alone for a single second, right?"

* * *

[7th May, Morning]

_"Today's headline: New development for the recent terrorist attack occurred in Ayanagi City..."_

_"As the investigation of the explosion that happened in Ayanagi Central Mall continued, the police force is still finding the reason for this explosion."_

_"Surprisingly, the original Detective Prince Shirogane Naoto was seen working with the Ayanagi police force..."_

Glancing at the news on her phone, Shiho sighed as closed the news and changed to the messenger. And without a second thought, she sent a text to Akira. Not for any particular reason, just a bit bored.

**Shiho: Hey Akira, you're here?**

And with only a split of a second, Akira responded.

**Akira: Right here, anything's wrong?**

**Shiho: Nothing, I just wanna talk with you for a bit.**

**Shiho: I'm a bit bored on this train ride.**

**Akira: Okay, I'm all ears.**

**Shiho: So... actually, how are we going to find more targets?**

**Akira: More targets?**

**Shiho: I mean as a Phantom Thief.**

**Akira: Oh right, I never thought about that.**

**Shiho: Um... crap, I forgot to tell you this. So there's a** **Phantom Aficionado Website where people can put their requests there...**

**Akira: ...That's fantastic! I wonder who made that website...**

**Shiho: I dunno, but I thank him from the bottom of my heart.**

**Shiho: Maybe we meet after school to look for some interesting requests?**

**Akira: Sure. I have no plan after school either, and... I kinda wanted to meet you anyway...**

**Shiho: Um...**

**Akira: Oh, just ignore the latter part. I mistyped that. Silly me haha...**

**Shiho: How in the world can you mistype that many words?**

**Shiho: Whatever, let's meet at the Aoyama-Ichtome station?**

**Akira: Sure.**

* * *

Meanwhile, Akira only pitched his nosebridge as he continued his walk to the school. Last night was... a nightmare to say the least. And it all started when Elizabeth wanted to help him cook dinner.

And in the usual Elizabeth fashion... She almost burnt the entire house down.

_"Elizabeth-san! You're spraying oil everywhere!"_

_"_ _Elizabeth-san! You'll cut yourself if you cut food like this!_ _"_

_"Don't mess with that,_ _Elizabeth-san!_ _"_

_"_ _Elizabeth-san! You can't feed Paff this kind of food, it's poisonous for her!_ _"_

_"AHHH! ELIZABETH-SAN! GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER!"_

"It's a miracle that I'm still alive..." He murmured, completely oblivious of a certain transfer student approaching him from behind. "By the way, I needed to but her new clothes too. Can't let her go around with that dress."

"But I don't know her size... and I don't even know if she knew what 'size' is," Sighing to himself, Akira rested his arms on his hip. "Then a cellphone for her, and get her a new key... And taught her how to properly cook tonight-"

"Excuse me, Ichijo."

Startled in surprise, Akira turned and saw Keigo giving him an unreadable glance. "O-oh hey Kamisaki-kun," He shuttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable from the glance he's giving him. "What's the matter?"

"Can we meet on the rooftop after school today?" Keigo asked in a pure professional tone, pushing his glasses. "I have some urgent business to talk about."

"Urgent business?"

"It's classified." He replied without a second thought, stuffing his hands in his jacket's pocket.

"O...kay," Weirded out by the secrecy from Keigo, Akira pondered for a moment before hesitantly nodded. "So... after school, rooftop, right?"

"Right, see you there," With that said, the half-French left Akira alone and went on his way.

Watching him disappeared into the crowd, the amateur writer sighed and went on his way too. He just hoped this 'meeting' wouldn't take too long, or he would have to deal with an angry Shiho...

And he didn't want to deal with an angry Shiho.

* * *

[Afterschool, Rooftop]

After the final lesson had ended, Akira went to the rooftop without a second thought. He just wanted to deal with Keigo's 'business' as soon as possible, then he could look for new targets with Shiho.

Well, he mostly just wanted to hang around Shiho.

Opening the door, the amateur was surprised that Keigo was already there, waiting for him with an unreadable look. However, with his crossed arms, he probably was a bit lacking in patience.

"So, you didn't make an empty promise, that's a plus," He said, relaxing his arms and let it swayed to his side.

"Well, I have some plan after this, so talk whatever you wanted to talk about," Akira sighed.

Keigo just nodded in response. "You're right, I wanted to get this over with either."

"Actually... it would be quick," Adjusting his glasses, the half-French opened his jacket and revealed a shoulder holster.

And as he noticed the holster, Akira's body tensed considerably. Did... did he just him carrying a gun? W-what did he wanted to do with him?

Gulping in nervousness, Akira subconsciously took a step back, readied to run when needed. "O-okay, I'm sure that was a gun, what the hell did you want?"

"...I just need to confirm one thing," Keigo replied with a casual tone, making Akira's body tensed harder. "So I know how much information I can share with you."

"I don't like the sound of that, not at all."

"Whether you like it or not doesn't matter," The half-French deadpanned, reaching to his holster and took out a pistol. "As I said before, I just need to confirm one thing."

Widening his eyes, Akira took another step back before noticing the pistol in Keigo's hand. It was covered in silver and shining, with the words "S.O." craved on the side of it. It was... extremely unusual and a type of pistol he never saw before, even with his old research with firearms.

However, instead of pointing at him as he expected, Keigo pointed the pistol... to his temple.

"W-what are you doing!" Exclaiming in shock, Akira wasted no second thought and dashed forward. "Hey, don't just shoot yourself!"

"Tch... I should expect this kind of reaction..." Murmuring in annoyance, Keigo took a step back and rested his finger on the trigger.

And the next word he said stopped Akira in his track.

"Persona."

Pulling the trigger, the sound of glass shattering suddenly rang throughout the entire roof, and Akira was blown back by the shockwave from nowhere. Hastily regained his balance, the amateur writer could only watch in shock as a figure materialized behind Keigo.

It looked like a person, with its head wrapped with bandages and only showed its eyes. With the bleached hat it's wearing, the image of Moriarty popped up in his mind.

Other than that, it was wearing an old-style long coat and shirt, with its leg being just two black mechanical legs with no feet.

Looking at Akira's reaction, Keigo nodded to himself. "So you did have a Persona, since only a Persona-User can see another one, even when it was summoned by an evoker."

Snapped out from the initial shock, Akira just stared at him. "W-who are you?"

"A Persona-user just like you, Ichijo," He calmly replied, letting the wind blew over his jacket and blonde hair. "And I should properly introduce myself, since my introduction yesterday didn't tell the truth."

"My name is Kamisaki Keigo, a Persona-user, and a member of Shadow Operative."

(To be continued.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so at least I didn't take about a month to finish this chapter, so that's a massive plus. Even though it's somewhat a filler chapter here...
> 
> Anyway, this version of Keigo is finally officially introduced into the story, yeah! *clap* And as you all can see, this Keigo's is very different from the original version, and how would this new dynamic between the three... this would be interesting.
> 
> However, on the other end of the spectrum, Elizabeth now lives with Akira in the same apartment... Well, it's our loveable weirdo Elizabeth, so Akira is definitely not going to have a good or easy time around her XD. Let's hope he would at least get along with her, or him acting like a big softie around her.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the story so far, comments and kudos are definitely welcome!


	16. Raven

[Shibuya Station Square]

Standing in the middle of the square, Shiho frowned as she continued to wait for Akira. It's been half an hour already, but there was still no sight of him. And the lack of text or any texts only made her more nervous

"Akira, where the hell had you been..." Trailing off, she took out her phone and checked. "C'mon, at least text me or something..."

Thankfully, her (seemingly) eternal wait finally ended with Akira's calling from afar. "S-Shiho! I'm sorry for keeping you this long!"

Running up to her, the amateur writer panted heavily, but only to be met by her deadpanned stare. Of course, he knew he's doomed and down to her mercy, but at least he didn't just disappear and did nothing.

That would end well, right?

"What took you so long?" She asked, narrowing her stare. "I never thought you to be someone disappear and not explaining?"

"I-I didn't expect him to take me this long..."

"Him?" Blinking in confusion, her question was quickly answered as Keigo's voice joined in.

"It's me," He said, walking up with an expressionless look. "I apologize for taking your... partner for too long, Suzui-san."

"He's Kamisaki, that new transfer in my class yesterday," Akira answered for him, giving out a long sigh. "Anyway, he asked me to meet him on the rooftop, and he-"

"And I used my evoker to confirm if you're a Persona-user or not," Keigo deadpanned, pushing his glasses. "After that, he told me a bit about the Metaverse and what are you two doing."

However, Shiho's eyes widened at the word 'Persona-user'. "Wait for a second, you know about Persona, Kamisaki?"

"I am a Persona-user myself," He nodded. "Judging from your reaction, you are a Persona-user as well, Suzui-san?"

"Y-yeah..." Trailing off, the volleyball player gave Akira a confused gaze, demanding answers from him.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Akira ran his hand through his hair. "W-well, Kamisaki said that he's from an organization called 'Shadow Operative, but that's pretty much it."

"Because it's classified," Keigo sighed. "Besides, I don't think we can talk about this in the public."

Shaking his head, the half-French crossed his arms and returned to his deadpanned look. "Anyway, I assume that you two are supposed to talk about something, right?"

"O-oh right, about the targets," Hastily cleared his throat, Akira took out his phone and opened the Phan-Site. "Shiho, do you have any idea for someone worthy of being one?"

Giving Keigo an apologetic glance, Shiho opened a post on the Phan-Site and showed it to both of them. "I did found one, he's called Miyano Karou."

"Miyano Karou..." The amateur writer nodded, putting the name into the Meta-Nav. "Okay, we got a hit."

"But then it's the location and distortion..." Trailing off, Shiho re-read the entire post and frowned. "The post didn't mention where the location is, but it said Miyano had been beating her and their daughter for half a year..."

"So it's domestic violence..." Keigo trailed off, narrowing his eyes. "Actually, I might have an idea of that location."

Gesturing to Akira for his phone, the half-French typed something on the location column and pressed the 'navigation button'. However, instead of the 'Target Not Found' notification Shiho and Akira expected, the feeling of nausea suddenly assaulted them.

"Bingo," Keigo murmured.

Before long, the trio disappeared from the station square.

* * *

[?]

Once the feeling subsided, the first thing that caught their attention was that they were alone. And the crimson sky and landscape made them realize that they were actually in the Metaverse.

"Wha-" Widening his eyes, Jester looked down and saw himself wearing his thief gear.

The same was the same for Swan as well. "Wait, my clothes- ain't we didn't have the necessary keywords to enter a palace?"

Nodding, the gentleman thief looked over to Keigo. "Kamisaki, what did you just put in the nav?"

"Mementos," The said blonde answered, noticing his own school outfit was changed as well.

Instead of the school uniform, he was wearing a plain black outfit similar to a formal suit with a tie. However, there was a small cape connected to his back, along with the plain white glove and the armband which had 'S.O.' written on it.

On further observation, Keigo noticed a mask on his face. It was a grey mask similar to the one worn by the doctors during the black death plague, and the eyeholes weren't covered by the goggles.

"Huh, so your outfit changed when you enter this shadow realm... Reminds me of the outfit they gave me," Keigo nodded to himself, turning his focus back onto the duo. "Anyway, I should explain how did I know about this place."

Giving Jester's phone back to its owner, the half-French cleared throat with a cough. "About a month or two ago, two of our members detected a large shadow nest located in Tokyo."

"But that doesn't mean..." Swan trailed off, crossing her arms. "How did you know the name though?"

"The two member's Personas are specialized in navigation and information gathering, and we barely got the name with their power combined."

"Then why didn't you do anything about it?" Jester questioned, narrowing his eyes at him. "If your team already has Personas, then it means all of you can at least do something about what we're facing, right?"

"We never know how to enter this place," Keigo sighed, adjusting his mask. "Until now, there was no record of anyone entering this Metaverse, or a method to enter."

"Besides, our hands were tied. We weren't able to do anything."

"...I'm still skeptical of your reasoning, Kamisaki," Swan said.

"Whether you're skeptical or not is not my concern," The half-French plainly said, switching his glance to the subway station. "However, I think we should focus on dealing with that request, correct?"

Nodding with hesitation, the duo followed Keigo and entered the subway station.

* * *

[Mementos, Entrance]

Once the trio entered the station, they were greeted by a... hellish version of the usual subway station. The lights around them were dim, barely enough for them to see anything outside of just a few meters. However, the walls were painted wtih blood-like crimson, alongside the black pulsing veins bursting out from the inside.

"It's..." Trailing off, Jester couldn't help but swallowed a lump in his throat. "And I thought Kamoshida's palace is bad enough..."

"Yeah..." Swan nodded, taking out her rifle and readied for anything.

Observing the surrounding, Keigo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "...Interesting, I should have some record to give it back."

Taking out his own phone, he attempted to take photographs but failed. "Huh, so you can't use a digital camera here, interesting..." Raising an eye as he saw the camera malfunctioned, the half-French took out a different camera and lifted his mask. "Let's see how an old-fashioned camera works here."

Watching him taking pictures of this place, Jester and Swan exchanged an awkward glance. After all, Keigo's placement was really awkward here, both of them didn't know he should be a part of the team, or not.

After finishing his small photoshoot, Keigo turned back and gave the two a slight apologetic look. "I apologize for taking this long, but it's about formal business,"

Noticing the Meta-Nav installed on his phone, he held up a finger raised an eye. "I know it might be pointless, but... did the navigation app auto-installed itself for your case as well?"

"Yeah," Jester nodded.

Nodding in deep thought, the half-French tapped his screen a few times and opened the map. "...So there's a map for this labyrinth..."

"From what this map said, the target we typed in is about two floors below us," Closing the phone and put it in his pocket, he looked toward the escalators leading to below. "Anyway, didn't we have a domestic violence case to handle?"

"R-right," Exchanging a glance with each other, the duo nodded and entered the labyrinth.

* * *

Even though with its location being the Tokyo subway system out of everything, Jester and Swan still were surprised when they actually experience how huge this place was.

The seemingly endless train rails, the oppressive aura this place gave out. All of this on top of the shadows patrolling the area, Jester and Swan didn't know what to think about this place.

Before long, the trio found themselves outside of a spiral of rails and crimson mist. With its significant contrast with the already bizarre landscape that was Mementos, Jester and Swan couldn't help but felt... oddly intriguing.

However, Keigo was... a different kind of Persona-user they had ever seen. For his first time to come to the Metaverse, he seemed strangely... calm about everything. He didn't faze at the landscape, his surrounding, neither did the shadows themselves as well.

On top of that, he adapted to fight in this world real quick. He found out how to summon his Persona with his mask without Jester or Swan mentioning a word about this, he called his weapon- a sword cane.

How could he deal with these kinds of weird stuff with this kind of calmness? This question kept bugging in their minds.

"Here we are," Keigo announced, crossing his arms and looked back toward the two. "From how different this seems from the rest of this place, it looked like some kind of portal..."

"Yeah, it looked like one..." Jester nodded, remembering something that he should mention a long while ago. "Kamisaki, I don't know whether you would stick with us or not. But either way, you should have a codename here."

"Codename?"

"Oh right, the codename," Swan nodded, walking up to Jester's side. "We use codename when we're in the Metaverse. I am Swan, and Akira is Jester."

"Okay, so a codename..." Trailing off, the half-French gazed away to somewhere far away. And he stayed like this for a while, as if he was bathed in some kind of memory or flashback.

"...Raven," He said, snapping out from his flashback. "Just call me 'Raven' when we're in Metaverse. After all, I have to investigate this place, so I probably had to stay with you two."

"Raven...?" Raising an eye in slight curiosity, the white thief gestured toward his mask. "I mean, it suits your mask."

"It does," Keigo nodded. "But I'm not going to disclose my own reason for choosing it."

"We didn't disclose too much about us either, Raven," Jester shrugged with a small smile, turning his focus back to the spiral. "Anyway, let's go."

With that said, the trio entered the portal.

* * *

[Mementos Chamber- Miyano Karou]

Behind the portal was a chamber, it looked just like the endless road and rails they saw before. However, there are only one way in front, and a sole shadow standing in the middle of the chamber.

Instead of the humanoid creature that they encountered before, that shadow appeared just like the Shadow Shiho Jester saw before. The shadow was wearing a plain grey business suit and holding a business case.

"So this is Miyano's shadow..." Jester trailed off, turning back and gestured Swan to ready her sniper rifle. "Prepare for anything, god knows if we have to fight or not."

"From the aura coming out from him, it seems to the former," Raven commented, walking up to the businessman. "So, you're Miyano Karou, right?"

 _ **"And... so you're the Phantom Thieves that are supposed to 'change my heart', right?"**_ Miyano countered, narrowing his eyes toward the trio. _**"Let me tell you something, both of them ARE my PROPERTY!"**_

"Treating your family as property..." Trailing off, Jester couldn't help but tch'ed in slight anger. "Y'know, if there's a qualification for being a father, you just failed it with just a sentence."

_**"Don't you hear me, THEY ARE MY PROPERT-"** _

"We heard that, asshole," Swan interrupted him, pulling the charging bolt of her sniper rifle. "And that's all your justifications for committing domestic violence?!"

_**"She married to ME! SHE VOLUNTEERED! Don't you hear me!"** _

With a rage-filled roar, black goo emerged from the ground and covered Miyano's body. And he morphed into an Eligor. _**"Now! I'll make you know why you should stay away from my personal business!"**_

"From the look of it, talking is out of our options," Raven called his sword cane and unsleeved it, revealing a shining thin blade. "And to be honest, my patience is running very, very thin right now."

_**"NOW DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!"** _

Watching the armored rider rushing toward them, the trio quickly speared and avoided its first strike. And the rider crashed to a wall, it's spear stuck into it and couldn't get out.

"So it seems to be lacking in the self-control department, ironic," Taking off his mask, the black-suited thief stared coldly as blue flames emerged around him. "Come, _**Fou Roux**_!"

Materializing behind him, Raven's Persona- Fou Roux curled up as if it was in pain. Holding its tight fists in front of its face, it twitched violently before spreading out and sent a wave of ice toward the Eligor.

"Ice power, interesting," Smirking, Jester fired his grappling hook and flew himself above Raven, summoning Moriarty while spinning in the air. "Moriarty, Eiha!"

Being hit with the burst of cruse energy, the Eligor roared before it pulled it's spear out from the wall and rushed toward the trio. However, just as it missed the trio again, it suddenly stabbed it's spear into the ground and used it as an anchor to stop itself.

Pulling the spear from the ground, it pointed it into the air. Before the trio could realize, thunders suddenly from the ceiling and down upon them.

"Everyone dodge!" Jester shouted, firing his grappling hook and launched himself.

As if the Eligor knew that his weakness was Lightning, Jester had to keep changing direction mid-air to avoid the lightning strikes. However, his attempt was interrupted as a bolt of lone lightning struck him dead center, and he fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Jester!" Widening her eyes, Swan hastily ran to his side and cast a Dia, not even cared to dodge the lighting.

"I'm... alright, Swan," Jester coughed. "It's just unlucky, who knows that this guy has lightning skills."

"But at this rate, this barrage won't finish," Swan tch'ed, taking some opportunities and fired a few quick rounds from her sniper rifle.

"...Maybe this would work," Nodding to himself after a moment of pondering, Raven took off his mask and summoned Fou Roux in mid-dodging. "Atomic Shard!"

**(Atomic Shard (Duel Elemental Skill): Light Nuclear+Ice damage to 1 foe, small chance of frozen aliment.)**

It sent a wave of ice shard with nuclear sparkling, hitting right the body of the Eligor and slowed his movement. Taking this as her opportunity, Swan summoned Le Pucelle and slashed the rider.

"Revolver Shot!" Jester exclaimed, summoning Moriarty and fired a few shots toward the Eligor.

However, seeing that the shadow still stood strong, as if their attack never dealt too much damages, Raven summoned his Persona again. "Evil Touch."

Curling up in phantom pain, Fou Roux sent a wave of purple aura and hit directly onto the shadow. As if Fou Roux suddenly became the most horrifying thing in the world, the Eligor started shaking and walked away from the trio.

Without a word, he let the bold breeze built up around him and created a barrage of ice shards. Without a word, the shards shot forward and directly hit the Eligor. The said shadow roared in pain and fell down, the shockwave shook the entire chamber.

"Now's the chance, Jester," Raven said, holding his sword cane in reverse grip and lowered his center of gravity. "Let's finish this."

"I was about to say the same thing," Smirking, Jester exchanged a short glance with Swan before readying his scythe. "Let's finish this, **All-Out Attack!** "

Without a wasted second, the trio dashed toward the Eligor and barraged with endless slashes and bullets. Using the wall of the chamber as their stepping stone, they flew across the room with incredible speed, only the hint of their shadow could be witnessed by human eyes.

Landing before the shadow, Raven bowed as if he was an actor on a stage show. Then he straightened up and looked straightly toward the direction he was bowing at, just as the shadow exploded in black goo.

**"You're not worthy to be remembered."**

Upon defeat, the shadow returned into his human form, laying on the floor. _**"...**_ _ **They're all I had left...**_ _ **"**_ Karou murmured to himself, clutching his fists tight. _**"I already lost everything, I don't want to lose them as well!"**_

"That doesn't mean what you did is the right way," Jester said somberly, holstering his scythe. "You're doing the exact opposite."

 _ **"Then why Madarame still gets away from taking everything away from me!"**_ The shadow exclaimed in anguish. _**"My dream, my work, everything!"**_

Swan could only give him a look of sympathy. In the end, he was just another victim turned perpetrator, it was just a cycle of hate. And unfortunately, his family became the victim of things outside of their control.

However, Raven walked past the duo toward the shadow, holding him up by his shirt's collar.

"What Madarame did to you doesn't mean shit when you hurt your family," He said coldly, and the mask only intensified the rage-filled stare from the half-French. "They're innocent, and don't you dare to make any excuses."

 _ **"..."**_ Karou couldn't reply with anything, just returning his stare with remorse. _**"Then... what about Madarame? You're the Phantom Thieves, right?"**_

 _ **"He... he's a person who deserves a change of heart much more than everyone!"**_ He pleaded, causing the trio to widen their eyes in surprise. _**"Not only me, but many more dreams were also squashed because of him!"**_

_**"And there's still one pupil under his wing..."** _

"We'll look into it," Jester said, exchanging his glance with the other two thieves for approval. And they only nodded in return.

"Now return to your real-self," Turning back to Karou, Raven finished his word while keeping his glare. "And pay for what you've done."

With a shaky nod, Miyano Karou's shadow found himself engulfed in blinding light and faded out of existence. And what left was only a floating orb, the manifestation of what caused his distortion of desire.

Jester reached into the orb and took out what's inside. It was a pencil, a plain-looking, and old-school pencil.

"...That's unfortunately ironic," Raven commented, resting his hands inside his costume's pocket as he kept looking at the pencil. "The tool for creation became his source of destroying his family..."

"But... can we believe what he just said? About that 'Madarame' person?" Swan asked.

"Shadow is the repressed side of a person, or 'the truth behind a mask' if you will," The Shadow Operative member replied, switching his gaze onto her. "And thus... everything it said is genuine."

"Then that's mean there's a person much worse than him," Jester said, pocketing the pencil, turning his gaze back toward the portal. "Madarame... did that name ring a bell to any of you?"

Raven didn't say anything at first, just rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "...He might be talking about Madarame Ichiryusai, the well-renowned artist."

"Madarame Ichiryusai?" The gentlemen thief asked with a raised eye. "Well, I'm not someone who's really into the art world-"

"Whether you're in the art world or not doesn't matter," The half-French interrupted him. "But we should stay here for too long, or the Reaper might notice us."

"Reaper?"

"Just imagine it as an undefeatable shadow," He deadpanned, walking past them and toward the portal. "Trust me, you won't want to meet him at all."

Swan and Jester only exchanged a confused glance before following Raven. And the trio returned to the entrance in no time, with the silence returned among them.

* * *

[Real World, Shibuya Station]

After the trio returned to the real world, the trio decided to have a break in Big Bang Burger. Akira and Shiho sat on the window side while Keigo sat on the opposite.

"So, about that Madarame person..." Akira trailed off, taking out his phone and searched for information about him. "Kamisaki, anything to add?"

Keigo crossed his arms for a moment, as if trying to remember something. "There were some rumors about Madarame using his pupil's art as his own. However, his reputation was unaffected at all."

"That sounds suspicious," Shiho commented.

"Actually, there is an upcoming exhibition," The amateur writer said, showing a news article about the exhibition to them. "And... it's starting from 15th, so about a week way from now."

"That gives us some time to gather more information," Keigo commented plainly.

However, Shiho widened her eyes in horror instead. "...Wait, we forgot something!" She exclaimed, just quiet enough so no one noticed it. "We have Mid-Term coming!"

"OH right, it's next Wednesday..." Trailing off, Akira buried his face in his palms in dread. "I haven't studied anything at all..."

"Uh... I was the same too..." The volleyball player sighed to herself, laying down on the table and groaned. "Too many things happened during these times..."

Meanwhile, Keigo only gave them a deadpanned stare, holding the urge of facepalming at their lack of study. "Just focus on your study for now," He said plainly. "Then we can start our investigation. We're students, after all."

"Wait a sec," Akira interrupted him, straightening up on his seat. "We still haven't decided on whether you're one of The Fools or not."

"The Fools?"

"It's the name of our group," He explained, rubbing his neck out of slight awkwardness. "It's because we're not the only group of Pesona-users. We still have Ren's The Phantoms."

"Hmm..." Trailing off and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, Keigo nodded and adjusted his glasses. "We've already been to the Metaverse and fought together, I guess I am qualified to be one of you?"

"We're not running an audition, Kamisaki-kun," Shiho deadpanned, sitting up and shifted her gaze onto Akira himself. "But Akira, it's your call."

"I know," Akira said, turning his focus back onto Keigo. "Well, welcome to the team, Raven."

Keigo didn't say anything at first, earning a somewhat nervous glance from the two. For a second there, an aura of pure silence fell upon the trio.

"...This is the most awkward 'welcome to the team' I've ever heard," Keigo finally said after a whole minute of silence, standing up from his seat and grabbed his bag. "Either way, I'm going to stay with you two regardless. I cannot go to Mementos on my own, and you two desperately needed a person with experience."

"Excuse me, but I have my meeting with my higher up concerning our new discovery about Mementos."

With that said, the half-French bowed politely and left the fast-food shop, leaving Shiho and Akira alone and sat awkwardly. Keigo was... really down-to-business toward them, a bit too much for their liking.

After a moment of silence (again), Akira leaned back into his seat and sighed. "Is that really awkward?"

However, Shiho only laid on top of the table again and sighed. "...Well, he probably left us just to avoid the cringe..."

"Well, can't blame him though," The amateur writer said, running his hand through his hair. "And... Just focus on our exam, okay?"

"Yeah..."

(To Be Continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Chapter 16 of Another Thief: Royal Fools is here!
> 
> And well, it took about a month again... at this point, this fic would take me years to finish XD.
> 
> Anyway, Keigo officially joined The Fools as Raven! Even if he seems a bit distant toward them, it would change over time.
> 
> And now they had their suspicion toward Madarame, how would it affect The Phantom's eventual infiltration of the museum? Not only that, what would happen about Hifumi?
> 
> This would be an interesting arc to follow through. And I'm looking forward to it!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the story so far, Kudos and comments are definitely welcome!


	17. Calm Before The Exam

[Later that night, Akira's apartment]

After the whole battle in Mementos, and that talk with Keigo in the Big Bang Burger, Akira just wanted some quiet time of his own. Espeically since the exam was coming up next week, and he really REALLY had to do some study.

BEEP! BEEP!

However, Mitsuru's sudden calling interrupted his 'emergency routine' for the night. "Wha- Shouldn't the call on tomorrow?" Raising an eye at his beeping laptop, the amateur writer put aside his books and notes and accepted the call. "Um... Good evening, Mitsuru. What's the matter?"

On the other end, Mitsuru had a... conflicted look, as if she didn't want to do this at all. And this only made Akira's even more confused. It was already weird enough to see this look on anyone, but on Mitsuru out of all people? Now that's a rare sight to see.

"So... Akira, I never wanted to talk about this with you..." Trailing off in mid-sentence, the head of Kirijo Group sighed and pulled out a file. "But... I talked with Kamisaki a little while ago, and... you're a Pesona-user now, right?"

Akira didn't answer at first, only staring at the screen with widened eyes. First, how did she knew about Persona in the first place? And second, she said 'Kamisaki gave his report back'... Did that mean Keigo was working under her? And...

"...I didn't mishear that, right?" He gulped. "You just said 'Persona', right?"

"...Yes, I did," She admitted with a hesitant nod, as if she was reluctant to admit it in the first place. "And before you ask, Kamisaki is working under me in the Shadow Operative. Actually, I'm the one who sent him to Tokyo."

"That's... a lot to take in, Mitsuru," Akira said, looking down on the keyboard and rubbed the back of his neck. "Wait, you're working in that 'Shadow Operative' alongside Kamisaki?"

"Not exactly," Mitsuru refused, shaking her head. "I am the founder of Shadow Operative."

"...What," He just stared at the screen in silence, not able to process the sudden drop of an info bomb.

"I expected you wouldn't take this lightly..." Trailing off, She took a deep breath before continuing. "But that's why I was hesitated to call you."

"...I get why you hid all this away from me, to keep me safe from the shadows, right?"

"Right, I wished that you're just going to be a normal person, and grew up without knowing all these," Mitsuru nodded. "But now you've awakened your Persona, I guess we couldn't escape the inevitable."

"So... I just wanted to tell you that I'll have Kamisaki to report to me about your activities in the 'Metaverse'," She continued, taking a deep sigh. "Don't worry if you expected me to stop you, I knew that feeling of duty."

Akira was... surprised, to say the least. The last time he saw Mitsuru being like this... was back when he was living in the Iwatodai dorm. Unfortunately, before Akira could say a word, the voice of Elizabeth suddenly broke through the entire apartment and startled the two.

"Akira-kun! Why didn't you tell me you're back?!"

"...Did I just heard a female voice?" The Head of Kirijo Group asked, changing into a cold tone in less than a second. "Would you mind explain that, Akira?"

"U-uh..." Gulping in fear, the amateur writer tore his eyes away from her cold glare. "This... is somewhat a complicated situation, and I really don't have a clear way to explain it-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Elizabeth rushed into the room with a horrified expression. "Akira-kun! Where is the food for Paff?"

"Uh..." Trailing off, Akira's eyes darted between Elizabeth and the laptop screen. "I-it's in the drawer next to the stove..."

Gradually lowering his voice, he gave a peek at them. Mitsuru was staring at them with a shocked look, an even rarer one to see than the one earlier.

"No way... Elizabeth?!"

"Hmm?" Raising an eye in slight surprise, the velvet room attendant glanced over to the laptop screen and beamed. "Oh, long time no see, Mitsuru! It's been like... four years since we last met?"

Before Mitsuru could have a response, Akira pushed Elizabeth a bit away from the table "Hold on a minute, you knew Mitsuru?"

"Of course!" The said attendant nodded, turning back to the laptop's screen. "But wow, you looked great as ever! Even without that bodysuit to... enhance your feature."

"Bodysuit? When did Mitsuru wear a bodysuit?"

"A-anyway, I... I still need an explanation of this, Akira," Mitsuru coughed, as if she wanted to stray away from this subject as fast as possible. "Why would Elizabeth here in the first place?"

"U-uh... that's because..." Giving the velvet room attendant a glance of nervousness, Akira's eyes darted between teh screen and her again. Thankfully, the sound of the doorbell ringing gave him a chance to get away from here.

"I... think that's for me," Without a word, he left the room and the two women with a wry smile. "I'll explain it later, probably."

With that said, the amateur writer practically scrambled out of the room and toward the door. And... it was a delivery. More specifically, a package from Inaba.

'Oh, that's probably the Teddie Doll Teddie made for Setsuna-chan,' Akira thought as he signed the package and closed the front door. It was actually smaller than he expected, espeically consider the last doll Teddie made personally was... really large.

"Well, that was four years ago, so... he probably improved on his sewing skill," He thought out loud, further examining the package. "Yeah, Kanji-san probably taught him how to properly make a doll."

However, his brief seconds of silence was interrupted as Elizabeth's voice rang through the entire apartment. "Akira-kun! We're still waiting for your explanation!"

"Mitsuru said it has to be you!"

...Yep, god was messing with him, definitely.

[8th May, Morning, family diner]

Well, Ren never expected Mishima out of all people would call him out to meet here. After he revealed his identity as the admin of that Phantom Aficionado Website, it was a bit awkward to deal with him. Like, he's nice and all, but... it just felt a bit weird to have a 'manager' of some sort.

"How have things been?" Mishima asked with a tired yawn, rubbing the back of his head. "You know, with the... special activities?"

"Well..." Trailing off, Ren somewhat struggled to find a word to describe it without being too obvious. "It's going great... I guess?"

"Oh, that's great to hear," The admin of the Phan-Site nodded, before he was unable to hold another yawn back. "Oops, hah, sorry about that."

"I... uh... haven't' been getting a lot of sleep lately."

Pushing his glasses, Ren leaned back into his seat. "Let me guess, it's because of the site?"

"Yeah, I've been staying up managing the Phan-Site all night, every night," Mishima nodded with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head again. "I think it's called... PR?"

"Phan-Site... huh," The delinquent shrugged with a faint smirk. "That's some clever pun here."

"Well, a catchy name is the key if you want people to notice you," The said admin beamed, holding a thumbs up. "This is all a bit of P-Thieves Propaganda! After all, there's no point to take down bad guys if nobody's gonna know about it."

"You... have a point here."

"Right, and that's why I started this website to let people request directly to you guys," Mishima widened his beaming smile to a grin. "And while filtering out the haters."

"The thieves are supposed to show under a proper spotlight, right?"

"Uh..." Unintentionally letting his mouth hang open in slight surprise, Ren just returned his enthusiasm with a wry grin. "You've done good, kid."

"Really?!" Widening his eyes in surprise, the admin stopped for a second before beaming again. "You saying that makes my all-nighters worth it!"

"Just don't make those all-nighters a habit..." Seeing that Mishima wasn't really listening to his word, Ren just sighed to himself in slight defeat.

"Though actually, I really wanna know how you punish people..." Trailing off, Mishima rubbed his chin thoughtfully before shrugging it off. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask. It wouldn't be any fun if you just up and told me."

"After all, the Phan Thieves have a reputation for being secretive!"

"Secretive... huh..." Ren hesitantly nodded, somehow feeling a huge amount of irony from his words. 'Well, that belongs to Jester and Swan. Hell, we still haven't know their real identity.'

"But actually... you guys really did well with that domestic violence case!"

"Domestic violence... what?" The leader questioned with a confused look, and his brain was just as confused as his look suggested. "Um... What's that about?"

"Huh? Ain't you guys supposed to change that guy's heart?"

"Um..." Trailing off, Ren looked away and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'We didn't touch Memento since our first visit... Then who...'

"Maybe it's them?" Thinking out loud and just enough to let Mishima overheard him, the delinquent noticed the questioning look Mishima gave him. "Uh... it's just... it's a complicated situation."

"Don't worry, I said I'm not gonna ask into the details."

As the two continued their meeting, neither of them noticed Keigo sitting on the table behind Mishma and overhearing them.

'He's the creator of that site... huh,' He shrugged at this thought, taking another bite into his meal. 'Well, that's some chance encounter. I just came here for a lunch and... but anyway, now I know the site is somewhat trustable.'

'And there's still that thing inside Ichijou I had to handle,' The SO member sighed, holding his forehead in slight frustration. 'He seems fine for now, but who knows when would that thing go berserk...'

"...I should just take my mind off of these things for today," With that said, he finished his lunch and left the diner.

Even though he only lived in Tokyo for more than about a month, but the central street in Shibuya never bored him. With people walking around and doing their own things, it created an unique, and fascinating pictures for him to capture. After all, out of all things he'd ever taken a photo of, people was his favorite. For him, it just felt like a snippet of a larger story, a moment of someone else's story.

"It's not like Ayanagi is boring either, it's just..." Trailing off, Keigo hastily shook his head and stopped the surfacing memories. "No, I shouldn't be thinking about that. It's a clean slate here, a temporary start-over."

"Who knows what it'll be like when I go back to Ayanagi?" He asked out loud, shrugging at his own question. "... And that place is just a giant memento of that day..."

Sighing to himself at this thought, the half-French went on his way and looked for new things to capture.

Meanwhile, Shiho and Ann were on a shopping trip in the underground mall. Looking through the designer's clothes, Ann decided to ask her the question she'd been thinking about for the last couple of days.

"So Shiho, what's with you and Ichijou?" She asked, tearing her gaze away from the clothes and onto the said volleyball player. "I mean... you two seem really, really close for the last few weeks."

Widening her eyes in surprise, Shiho looked anywhere other than the model with a faint blush. "U-uh... I guess we're close, heh..."

"I'm not buying that," However, Ann narrowed her eyes with a small smirk. "There's must be something between you, right?"

"N-nothing! We're just close friends, that's all."

"Nope, I'm still not buying that."

"..." Opening her mouth and tried to come up with a reason not exposing her identity as Swan, Shiho found nothing to say other than...

"W-well, I... do have a bit of feeling toward him," She admitted while looking down, not wanting to see Ann's look. "But... I just don't know where to start, especially with his old crush on Akashi."

"O...oh," Gulping in awkwardness, Ann internally bashed herself for asking this in the first place. "I... I'm sorry for asking that."

"No, it's fine," Shiho said with a shook of her head. "Actually, I should be the one who apologizes. I mean, you and I haven't talked like... for one or two weeks now."

"Shiho..."

"Just let me finish myself, please," She interrupted Ann. "I know you're fine with it, as you have your modeling to deal with. But... it just doesn't sit well with me."

"I'm sorry for not talking with you, Ann."

"Shiho, I..." Knowing that words couldn't do anything that she wanted, Ann went up and hugged Shiho tight. "You sweet, stupid dummy..."

"I admit I can be a dummy..." Surprised by Ann's sudden act, Shiho startled for a moment before returning the hug. "But thank you, Ann."

"And now, good luck on getting Ichijou."

"...You're just going to return to this topic..."

"C'mon, I can help my best friend getting the guy in her dream!"

"Ann... We're getting unwanted attention..."

[9th May, morning, Shibuya station]

Scrolling through the news for anything to read, Ren sighed as all he saw were just a continuation report of that Attack that happened back in Ayanagi. Apparently, the attack was caused by an organization deep within Ayanagi's crime underworld...

But the media just purely focused on Naoto's appearances in the case.

"...The Shirogane Detective Agency still hasn't responded to our question concerning the appearance of the original Ace Detective in Ayanagi..."

"What does the appearance of Shirogane Naoto's appearance in Ayanagi mean?"

"Is this the comeback of the original Detective Prince?"

"...Why the hell did the news just focus on her appearance?" Saying out loud in frustration, the delinquent closed the news app and pocketed his phone. "Media these days..."

"After all, most people just care about things like this," Morgana sighed, resting his head on Ren's shoulder. "Really ironic as the news agency, right? Those poor receptionists."

"Yeah, especially when it only opened for a few months..." Trailing off, the leader of The Phantom noticed Ann walking up with a tired look.

"Morning..." Ann yawned. "Urgh..."

"You have allergies?" Ren asked, resting his hands in his pockets.

"...Allergies?" Stopped for a second, the model widened her eyes in realization and shrugged. "Oh, uh, maybe! I do feel kind of dazed, and everything feels weird!"

"But... um... actually... I've been having this feeling that someone's watching me..."

"That's not so great," He commented, pushing his glasses.

"Yeah, I hope not..." Crossing her arms and trailed off, Ann clasped her hands together with a hopeful realization. "Oh! Maybe I just can't shake off the feeling of infiltrating a Palace!"

"It's probably just my imagination, heh..."

Feeling the hesitation clearly visible on her face, Ren could only give Ann a wry smile. "...I hope so..."

[Afterward, Class 2D]

"...As you can see, this is a parallel with Dazai Osamu's real life, as he attempted to commit suicide multiple times..."

Resting his head on his palm, Akira could only try and stay awake on Kawakami's lecture about No Longer Human. It wasn't like he didn't like that book, he just read it at least 10 times by now. After all, Dazai Osamu was one of the greatest people in the world of Japanese literature.

Switching his focus on somewhere else, maybe it was only his misconception, but... everything just felt... lighter. Well, now Kamoshida's rotting in his prison cell, so it might be a major reason for why it felt this way.

Speaking of Kamoshda, he didn't know how, but everyone just treated him as if he never existed in this school in the first place. And so were the calling card, and the Phantom Thieves in general.

"Something's just never gonna change..."

Murmuring to himself, Akira couldn't help but gave out a heavy sigh. From his point of view, fate had a cruel sense of humor. Now everything was said and done, everyone just moved on while he... kinda still lingered in the past.

With all these thoughts in his mind, he didn't know how in the world can he deal with the mid-term on Wednesday.

However, his trains of thought were interrupted as his phone buzzed quietly. Internally hoping that Kawakami wouldn't notice him slacking off, Akira took out his phone and... Shiho was texting him.

Shiho: Hey Akira, I know it's not really a suitable time to text you. But it's just... you're okay on the mid-term, right?

Widening his eyes in surprise, the amateur writer stopped for a second before replying to her.

Akira: ...Um, not really. But why asking?

Shiho: O-oh, it's not really anything. But I'm just... maybe we can study together after school? I mean in the library.

Akira: ...Okay? What's with the sudden change of attitude?

Shiho: It's nothing! Hehehe...

Akira: ...Okay then, I'll let it slide this time.

However, before Shiho could respond to Akira's text, Keigo suddenly jumped into the conversation between them. In true to how he had been for the brief moment they interacted, he was still striaght to the point.

Keigo: Please turn back to the lecture. Besides, you two are texting in our group chat, just text privately if you wanted to settle some personal business.

Shiho: Oops, sorry Kamisaki. I'm just used to text Akira anything in here...

Shiho: So... library after school, Akira?

Akira: Of course...

Keigo: Did you two just forgot what did I just say?

Shiho: We're done now :)

Keigo: Good.

Keigo: NOW GET BACK TO LESSON.

As the final message from Keigo was sent, Akira winced and peeked over to Keigo's seat. The said half-French was giving him a cold glare that almost dropped his heart into negative zero, and he hastily returned to focus on Kawakami's lecture.

He still had an exam to deal with, after all.

[Afterschool, hallway]

Watching Akira left the classroom as soon as the bell rang, Keigo couldn't help but sigh. These two were obviously closer than friends, but they just not going to admit it to each other. Or in other words, the typical Anime crush stereotype.

"Never thought that I would see such things play out in real life."

Shrugging, the half-French left the classroom and decided to go to the planetarium in Ikebukuro. Now he had at least about a day or two completely free, he should take the opportunity and complete his list of 'Places to go in Tokyo'.

Even though he had an entire year in Tokyo, but with the upcoming investigation on Madarame... and with how Mementos expands... It's definitely not going to just a one-and-done case similar to the P-1 case in Inaba he read before.

Although the case lasted throughout the Golden Week in 2012, so he still couldn't use this as an example. Then... maybe the Midnight Stage case would qualify to be an example.

However, his trains of thought were interrupted when he saw a girl with chin-length curly light auburn hair walked by him. And even though it was already May, but she still wore a pink sweater over her uniform.

Of course, staring after a girl walking by was straight-up weird behavior, but Keigo's attention wasn't on the girl herself.

She was somewhat struggling with a bag of fertilizer, and about to fell over. With no second thought, Keigo hastily grabbed the bag from her shoulder and grabbed her hands to stop her from falling over.

"H-huh?" Widening her eyes in surprise, the girl turned around and faced Keigo's deadpanned look.

"You shouldn't carrying this alone, you know," He said, taking a look at the bag. "And... my god, it's a 3kg one."

"Um... I'm sorry, but I'm fine carrying it alone."

"But you don't look like it," The half-French said, pushing his glasses. "If I hadn't help you, you're going to fall over to the ground."

"...Well, it probably just because it's my fifth bag."

"F-fifth bag?" Widening his eyes in horror, Keigo took a long moment before snapping out from his shock. "...That makes some sense. But still, it's harmful to your shoulder and hands, espeically on the wrist area."

"O-oh, I never thought of that."

"You really should," The half-French sighed, picking up the bag and rested it on his shoulder. "But either way, where are you taking this to? I can't just let a girl like you carry this around alone."

"O-oh, you don't need to do that..." Trailing off, the girl stopped for a second before nodding in appreciation. "But thank you... And it's for the plants on the front door."

"Okay, " Keigo nodded and shifting the bag on his shoulder, unintentionally winced at the weight. "...well, it's heavier than I thought."

Step by step, he carried the bag down the stairs and to the front door of the school. It wasn't a long trip, but with the bag on his shoulder, Keigo couldn't help but wonder how in the world did she bring four of them back-to-back, alone.

Dropping the bag of fertilizer next to the small slot next to the stairs, the half-French wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed. "Well, it's a bit more taxing than I expected."

However, the girl only shifted awkwardly. "I appreciate your help, but... it's weird to have someone to help."

"I just can't stand and do nothing, especially for a girl," Keigo replied, pushing his glasses and glanced at the flowers below. "Red carnations? Interesting choice of flowers for school."

"O-oh, it's nothing too serious."

Kneeling down and took a picture of the flower she planted, the half-French smiled faintly and turned back to the girl standing next to him. "Even though it's unhealthy to carry these bags alone... But I have to admit, you take fantastic care for them."

"It's nothing... I just love gardening in general."

"I can see that, it's similar to my love for Photography," Keigo nodded, closing the viewing window of his camera. "Actually, may I take photos of your flowers? I can't just leave these flowers to be withered."

"Of course you can, it's open to everyone..." She nodded, keeping her hands behind her back. "And you're just taking pictures, not taking or harming them."

"I know, but I still should ask for permission from the person responsible for these well-maintained flowers," Adjusting his glasses, Keigo slightly widened his eyes in realization. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."

"I am Kamisaki Keigo, and... I actually just transferred to this school last week."

"Nice to meet you, Kamisaki-Kun..." Trailing off, the girl subtly looked away. And Keigo noticed that she looked somewhat hesitant to introduce herself. "...I am Okumura Haru, nice to meet you."

"Okumura... Haru..." Gradually lowering his voice, Keigo rubbed his chin for a second before smiling. "That's a beautiful name."

Haru, on the other hand, only felt nervous whether he caught what her surname meant or not, and only nodded slowly. However, her reaction didn't go unnoticed in Keigo's eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't see you in colored-lenses," He reassured her with a visible smile. "Status isn't the entirety of someone, it's who they really are that's important."

"...O-oh, um..." Widening her eyes in surprise, Haru shifted awkwardly as she tried to look for something to say. "That's... refreshing to hear."

"It must be..." Knowing that she wouldn't want him to be talking about something this personal to her, Keigo dropped this topic and decided to end this conversation. "Nothing, but I shouldn't take any more time from you. I was going to have a photography session in Ikebukuro."

"U-uh... then, I shouldn't bother you any longer either."

With a polite bow to each other, Keigo left the scene and went on his way to Ikebukuro. However, the sound of the city, the sound of Tokyo did nothing to sway his mind away from Haru. Even though she never said it out, but he could see the hesitation and... He didn't want to say it, but a hint of fear below her eyes.

"I guess I'm probably going to dive too deep into it..." Trailing off, he looked up into the sky and sighed. "Never thought it would happen but... somehow, dad's habit is rubbing off on me."

(To be Continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Chapter 17 is finished!
> 
> Thank god it didn't take me like a month to finish this one... But anyway, the next chapter would be focused on the exam week for everyone.
> 
> And of course, the introduction of a certain clumsy counselor. Knowing that Takemi mentioned him long ago, how would Akira react to him become the counselor of the school?
> 
> Not only that, we got more look at Keigo as a person, and the introduction of our lovely fluffy heiress Haru!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all like the story so far, kudo and comment are definitely welcome!


	18. Exam, counselor, stalker

[11th May]

At long last, the dreadful day had finally arrived. The only thing even the most fearless Phantom Thief fear. The only thing made a certain man who feared nothing fear...

Mid-term exam week.

Walking down the way to the school, Akira only kept his eyes down. If not for the school uniform, he looked like a prisoner going to a guillotine. Actually, 'going to a guillotine' was the best description of his feeling right now.

"I'm dead... I'm so dead..."

However, the voice of a certain volleyball player snapped him out of his thought.

"You're very much alive, Akira," Shiho deadpanned, raising her hand and flipped his forehead.

"Ow!" Akira yelped, rubbing his forehead in slight pain. "I know... I just don't know how my result would play out."

"You'll be fine, we studied together yesterday," She smiled, moving his bangs aside and caressed the spot she flipped his forehead. "Have some faith in yourself."

"I'm trying..." Trailing off, the amateur writer only blushed from the contact. "Uh... Shiho, people might get the wrong idea..."

Widening her eyes, Shiho hastily took off her hand and looked away. "O-oops, I let myself got carried away... haha..." Trailing off, a deep shade of red visibly crept on her cheeks.

Akira blinked in slight confusion, awkwardly turning his glance back to the road in front of him. Shiho acted so weirdly for the last two days, inviting him for a study session, and now this.

For a split moment, a very, very split moment, the idea of Shiho had the same feeling as he popped up in his mind. And as a result, the same deep shade of red crept onto his cheeks as well.

'No, don't overthink about it, Akira!' Mentally yelled at himself, Akira hastily shook his head and cleared the thought. "You have a goddamn exam to deal with, don't waste your thought on this kind of stuff."

Feeling the package containing the Teddie doll he was going to give to Mr. Ushimaru for his daughter, he used this to keep the thought about Shiho in check. And no, he told himself to never think that way about Shiho.

Without a word, Akira picked up his pace with a stiff posture, while Shiho just blinked at his back. "Did I went a bit too far with it?" She asked herself, looking at her hand with a furrowed brow.

However, as the duo arrived in the hallway, they were greeted by the sight of a group of students in front of the notice board. And behind them all was Ren, with Morgana poking out from the shoulder bag too.

"I can't believe this... A school assembly?" One student in the group said out loud. "During the exam week? The hell are they thinking?"

"It's the day after tomorrow, right?" Another student asked, and the boy next to her nodded. "I wonder if it's gonna be about Mr. Kamoshida again..."

"Ugh, I can't believe the school is messing with our schedules like this..."

"A mandatory assembly during exam week, huh?" Morgana asked, slightly poking out further from his bag. "Sounds rough for all of you."

"Yeah, it is," Ren nodded, noticing both Akira walking up to them. "Oh hey, Ichijo."

"Akira is fine, Amamiya," The said amateur writer shrugged, glancing over to the notice board. "But what's that about?"

"It says there's going to be a mandatory assembly on the day after tomorrow, dunno what it's about though."

"Urgh... seriously?"

"120% serious."

Sensing that Ren was serious, Akira just sighed and accepted this fact. "Just... please don't take too long, I still need to remember that English stuff..."

"Same for me," The delinquent shrugged.

* * *

[About half an hour later, Class 2-D]

The first subject of the week was Japanese history, a subject that Akira revisioned with Shiho for yesterday. And not only that, he was thankful that the section he had to revise on wasn't that much. It was just a few stories during the late Heian Period.

However, out of everything he remembered, the essay question had to land on the single part he had the worse on.

**a)What historical figure inspired the idiom of "favoring the magistrate"?**

**Essay Question: Provide the reason why the historical figure is viewed as a hero.**

"F-favoring the magistrate? The reason he was viewed as a hero?" Akira shuttered, darting his attention over the entire paper in panic. All he had left about this was just faint mentions, and fragments of the study session yesterday surfaced. "...Shiho mentioned it, right?"

(Yesterday, Library)

 _"Mr. Kuni told our class that this is definitely on the mid-term, so we should recite this,"_ Shiho said as she tapped her pen against her lips, staring at the notebook on the table.

 _"The story of Minamoto no... Yoshitomo?"_ Akira blinked, staring at his own notebook with confusion. _"Wait a sec, it's Yoshitomo, right?"_

 _"It's Yoshitsune,"_ The volleyball player deadpanned, before returning back to her tapping. _"The story of_ _Minamoto no Yoshitsune, or a story of an underdog if you will._ _"_

_"A story of an underdog... Okay."_

_"It's quite a good one at that too," Shiho nodded with a smile, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. "So... Yoshitsune worked under his brother Minamoto no Yoritomo... Then they go to a duel and Yoritomo won..."_

However, Akira's focus landed on something else. Watching Shiho being this focused, he found himself couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Maybe it was because how last months of his life was literally chaos of event after another event.

But now everything had cooled down, and after that talk with Naoko... He couldn't ignore his feeling toward Shiho anymore, he promised, after all.

_However, his trains of thought were stopped as Shiho looked at him confused. "Akira, something's wrong with me?"_

_"H-huh? Of course not, you're just as great as ever."_

_"But you've been staring at me for the last five minutes..."_

_"Oh, I'm just... You looked fantastic today, I just can't get my eyes off of you."_

In response, Shiho only blushed furiously and hid her face behind her books. And millions of possibilities rushed through his head in just a millisecond. Did he go a bit too far? What was she thinking right now?

What if she only saw him as a teammate-

(Back to present)

'Nope, don't get sidetrack Akira!' Almost smacking his head to the table right in front of him, Akira hastily shook his head and looked at the clock. It was 9:45 right now, and the exam would be ended at 10:00.

Or in other words, he only had fifteen minutes left.

'Oh shit, I just spent the last fifteen minutes daydreaming!' Widening his eyes in horror, the amateur writer hastily grabbed his pen and started writing. Right now, he had nothing left but to believe in his own writing skill, especially his speed of writing. 'Damn you, teenage Hormones...'

"...So Yoshitune was working under his brother Minamoto no Yoritomo..." Murmuring to himself as his pen furiously flowed through the answer paper, Akira tried his best to ignore the pain in his wrist right now. "...Then they went into a duel and Yoshitune lost, and Yoshitsune killed himself later..."

"...Since people rooted for the weak, he was sung as a hero-"

"Time's up!"

Finishing his essay at the same moment Mr. Iuni announced the end of the exam, Akira panted heavily looked at the exam paper in front of him. The words were a bit Scrawl, but it was readable. So it should be fine, right?

But now, it was in the past now. Let's hope his answer was the correct one, and putting some hope on Shiho too.

* * *

[Afterschool, Ground Floor]

Since it was exam week, everyone was able to leave after the exam of the day was finished. In other words, it meant that they were able to leave much earlier than usual, around noon to specific.

Standing at the door to the staff's office, Akira glanced at the package in his hand. "It's just giving a package to Mr. Ushimaru, it's nothing really special," He shrugged, opening the door and walked over to Mr. Ushimaru's seat.

It took no time for Mr. Ushimaru to notice him approaching, and gave the amateur writer a confused look. "Ichijo? Why are you here, school is ended."

"I know, but it's more a personal matter, Mr. Ushimaru," Akira said, giving the teacher the package. "Teddie-san sent the doll from Inaba, and your daughter would appreciate a gift from her father, right?"

"...Oh, the doll for Setsuna," The social studies teacher scanned through the entire staff room. From the look of it, he probably didn't want anyone to see this happening. "I rarely said this but... thank you, Ichijo."

"You don't need to, Mr. Ushimaru."

"But you just spared me from a month-worth of constant begging from Setsuna, so I still had to thank you."

"That's nothing special, it was Nanako-chan who insisted to call Teddie-san about the doll, after all," Rubbing the back of his neck, Akira couldn't help but smile a bit from how weird it was to see Mr. Ushimaru being this... easy-going?

"Actually... maybe you should show this side of you a bit more, Mr. Ushimaru," He suggested, earning a confused look from the said teacher. "I mean, most people here either fear you, or somewhat dislike you becuase of your all business attitude..."

"It's just a suggestion, though."

"Showing this side..." Trailing off, the social studies teacher shrugged. "I might consider this."

"Then... good luck with that," Giving him a thumbs-up, Akira bowed politely and left the staff room.

* * *

[13th May, Morning]

Social Studies and Japanese were a breeze for Akira, thanks to his research on Western literature in his free time. Unlike how he performed for the last two days, which consisted of a lot of struggle and nervousness, he was filled with confidence today.

At least his performance was much better than biology yesterday, which he just forgot at least sixty percent of things he revised. Maybe he should ask Shiho for another study session, for the next exam.

However, this was interrupted as the school called everyone to a meeting, much to everyone's annoyance. And the worse thing? Today wasn't the final day of the exam.

Glancing at the principal with a deadpanned face, Akira just rubbed his nosebridge in annoyance. "Can't you just start this already..." He murmured, turning over to the direction of class 2-C. In another word, Shiho's class.

The said volleyball player was having the same expression of boredom and annoyance as well. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? He really couldn't decide. Besides, where was Keigo? They were in the same class, and he saw Keigo during the exam too...

"Stop looking around and making a fool of yourself," Before he could react, Keigo's unimpressed voice rang from behind. "And... what in the world is the principal waiting for?"

Looking at his watch, Kobayakawa stayed still for a moment before clearing his throat. "...Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore," His voice rang throughout the entire hall, even if no one really wanted to listen.

"We believe the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we've acquired the services of a therapist."

Now, this caught Akira's attention. "Therapist?" He blinked in confusion, resting his arms in his pocket. "Seriously?"

"The floor is yours, Doctor..." Trailing off, Kobayakwa looked over to aside and someone else came out.

It was a young man in around his late-20s with brown, short unkempt hair, and he wore a white lab coat over a blue dress shirt and loose tie. And the square glasses he wore just screamed 'nerd' to Akira, for some odd reasons.

The 'Doctor' tapped the microphone a few times before clearing his throat. "It's... nice to meet you all," He awkwardly said, giving everyone a smile with the same level of awkwardness.

_"Isn't he hot?"_

_"Whoa, his voice is sexy!"_

Even Akira had to admit, the man was good-looking. But the whispers of straight thirst from the female students really made him cringed. The same could be said for Keigo as well, as he took a small step away from the girls before him.

However, as the doctor blissfully unaware (or ignored) the thirst whisper before him, and continued to introduce himself. "My name is-"

Before he could finish his introduction, the microphone just decided to give up and cut his voice. For a few long seconds, Akira could feel the thick awkwardness in the air here.

"Huh?" Blinking in slight confusion, the doctor examined the microphone from every angle he could reach and patted it. Once he checked that it's working again, he nodded to himself with a faint smile and continued his introduction. "My name is **Maruki Takuto.** Thank you for welcoming me to your school."

He then tried to bow politely, before his head hit on the microphone. Watching this scene revealing upon itself, Akira couldn't help to not sigh at it. "...Banging your head to the microphone... that's first."

But then, the name of the doctor felt... familiar to him. Did he hear this name from someone else?

_"His name is Maruki Takuto, he was... an old friend of mine, and I think he's a counselor."_

'Wait, Doctor Takemi mentioned him!' Widening his eyes in realization, the amateur writer made a mental note to ask him about Takemi when they met again. "Well, the said counselor came for me instead..."

Meanwhile, Takuto continued his introduction. "No need to be formal with me, though," He said, still rubbing the spot he accidentally hit the microphone. "I'm just here to counsel anyone who's interested."

"You can even call me Doc, if that would help you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be-" Interrupting himself, Takuto scanned through the entire hall and smiled awkwardly. "Oh... I guess I'm not really any good for helping with money problems... I'm dealing with this problem personally right now"

The hall was instantly filled with girl's laughter at his lighthearted joke, but it died down as Kobayakawa took over the microphone. "Thank you, Dr. Maruki. Now the assembly is over, all students please return to their classrooms."

* * *

[Later, Courtyard.]

After the assembly ended, Shiho and Ann decided to walk together back to their classrooms. However, the boys were nowhere to be seen.

"That was... something," Shiho couldn't help but comment, tilting her head down in thought.

"Yeah, it makes sense..." Ann nodded.

However, the volleyball player looked to the glass pane instead. "Maybe it's my fault..." She trailed off, her grip on the iron fences tightened. "My stupid self tried to..."

"You don't need to say it out, Shiho," Ann stopped her, placing her hand on Shiho's shoulder. "It's all in the past now."

"I know, Akira... saved me from that, after all."

Feeling that this conversation would only go darker and more somber, the model hastily found a new topic to talk about. "Yeah, speaking of Ichijo, how's the chase?"

"He told me that I looked fantastic, I lingered too long on his forehead..." Trailing off, Shiho just gave out a long sigh and played with a strand of her hair. "I think we just both took one step forward, and one step back."

"Ahh... the typical awkwardness between crushes!" Ann grinned. "Never thought I'll see this happen to my friends!"

"Wha- Ann?"

"C'mon, you're not walking around in a circle, there's already signs of progress!"

As much as she wanted to correct Ann that they're nothing more, Shiho knew that she wasn't going to stop talking about it until... something. In the end, she just gave out a long sigh and pinched her nosebridge.

Thankfully, the barrage of questions was interrupted as Ren and Ryuji walked up to them. "Yo," Ryuji greeted, giving the two girls a casual wave.

"Hey," Ren nodded in addition.

Ann, on the other hand, furrowed her brow in response. "Ryuji, I was about to ask Shiho the 'big one'!"

"Huh?" The two boys blinked in unison, giving each other a confused glance. "What?"

"It's about Shiho and Aki-"

Before Ann could finish her word, Shiho hastily covered her mouth and stopped her. "Ann's just want to peek into my love life, or the lack of one," She said with an awkward smile, releasing Ann's mouth after she stopped her attempt to continue.

"...Okay?" Glancing at each other again, the two boys decided to drop this conversation and returned to what they're for.

"Anyway," Ryuji shook his head, running his hand through his hair. "You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about our mental health?"

"That fat ass bastard mostly did this for positive PR," Shiho murmured, just loud enough for the trio to hear her. "He's just doing the goddamn bare minimum."

"After all these, the school had the audacity to get us a therapist now..."

Feeling her subtle anger beneath, Ann reached out and comforted her. "...Well, our school made national news. Maybe they figured they'd look even worse if they didn't do anything for us." She said with a wry smile.

Ren shrugged. "Ann has a point."

Ryuji nodded with a deadpanned look. "And Doctor, uh... Doctor Whatshisname."

"Maruki," Ann and Shiho answered in unison.

"Yeah-" The ex-runner nodded, mindlessly kicking the ground below his feet. "Wasn't that guy just clowin' up onstage?"

"Yeah, a bit," Ren nodded, keeping his gaze subtly on Shiho herself.

As much as she tried to hide it, but Ren couldn't help but felt a sense of familiarity with Shiho. It wasn't like the usual kind though. For a second there, especially when she struggled to hide her anger on Kobayakawa... He felt like he's watching Swan right then and there.

Something just wasn't right with her, she just felt like... she's been struggling to hold her rage.

'Maybe it's just because how the principal tried to play it down,' Shaking his head to clear him from this thought, but he thought just had to come up with a logical conclusion.

However, before the delinquent could create any logical conclusion, his trains of thought were interrupted as someone approached them. Glancing over, it was the 'Doctor Whatshisname' himself.

"Hey there," Takuto greeted the four with a light smile, his eyes scanned through the group before continuing. "Sakamoto-kun, Suzui-san, and Takamaki-san, right?"

The said three just nodded in confusion. How in the world did he know their name?

Landing on Ren himself, the counselor pondered for a bit before continuing. "And that must make you... Amamiya-kun, right?"

"Yep, that's me."

Couldn't keep his confusion anymore, Ryuji asked out loud, "How d'you know our name?"

"Well..." Takuto hung his head down in slight shame. "I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here."

"Those that had ah..." Glancing over to Shiho, he hesitated for a moment. "As much as I don't want to say it, but uh... previous interactions with Mr. Kamoshida."

Then, the counselor turned to Ren himself. "Amamiya-kun, it must've been especially tough for you after having just transferred here."

"Not really," Ren shrugged, earning a faint smile from him.

"You're quite the tough youngster- just don't overdo it, okay?"

Turning his focus onto Shiho, Takuto stopped for a second before talking again. "And you too, Suzui-san..." He trailed off, knowing that this was a really, REALLY sensitive subject to talk about in open.

"I understand, if not for Akira... I probably won't stand here."

Takuto nodded. "Right... I read what happened..."

Deciding that this was the right time to interrupt, Ryuji rubbing his shoulder and asked, "So... whaddya want with us?"

"I know I already offered my service to the student body," The counselor explained. "But would you four be interested in counseling?"

And without a second of hesitation, Ryuji turned back to Takuto with a monotonous voice. "Nope, not at all."

"Wha- Huh?!" Physically taken back by the bluntness, the counselor took about a moment to recompose himself.

"How's that surprising?" The ex-runner deadpanned.

"You're just a touch more emphatic than I expected..." Trailing off, Takuto looked over to the other three students. "What about you three, are you interested as well?"

Ann and Shiho exchanged a glance of hesitation, not know whether to accept the offer or not. On one hand, it might be something that they would benefit from, but the offer just sounded way too good to be true.

Of course, the look of hesitation hadn't gone unnoticed by Doc. "...But there are snacks if you come!" He said with a sheepish smile, somehow physically feeling the awkwardness between the group. "All you can eat... would be nice, but there's still plenty to be had. So, how about it?"

"...What," The two girls said in unison, only staring at Doc with a deadpanned look.

Ren, on the other hand, pinched a strand of his hair and pondered. "Tell me more of these snacks..." Trailing off, he tilted his head so his glasses reflected the light and blocked his eyes.

Ryuji was... surprised, to say the least. "Dude, you're falling for that?!"

"Amamiya's just being sarcastic," Shiho sighed. "Somehow, it's oddly fitting."

Takuto rubbed the back of his neck in response, feeling a bit uneasy about what he's going to say. "To be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to students directly involved with Mr. Kamoshida."

"It's in the school's interest... for its students."

"Ahh... the school's interest, huh?" Ryuji groaned, crossing his arms.

"Just as I thought..." The volleyball player added darkly.

"I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot." Doc sighed, feeling sympathetic toward the students before him. "Making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience..."

"Oh! I know!" As if a light bulb just lighted up inside him, Maruki nodded to himself. "If you attend my counseling sessions, I'll teach you different ways to improve your mental acuity."

"Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates..." Trailing off, the counselor scanned through all four of them. "So, how's that sound?"

"That sounds like something perfect for Akira..." Shiho murmured, rubbing her chin as she pondered. "And not getting nervous on a date..."

"That feels more like something for you," Ann giggled, lightly nudged her shoulder. "At this rate, you'll be the one to ask him-"

"Shud-shuddup, you meanie."

Ryuji, on the other hand, gave Ren a questioning look instead. "I... I'm not sure of myself. So, which way are you leanin'?"

"No harm in a little chat," Ren shrugged, adjusting his glasses. 'Besides, it might help with our work in Metaverse too...'

"Well... I guess we're not goin' to get away then," The ex-runner sighed, hanging his head low.

"Yeah..." Ann trailed off, with Shiho giving them a small nod.

"Really? Then, I guess it's a deal," Takuto smiled. "I'll be in the nurse's office- feel free to come by whenever it's convenient for you."

Ryuji shrugged. "Welp, we should get goin'."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

With that said from Doc, the Persona users continued on their way. However, Shiho was stopped as Takuto suddenly caught up to her. "I'm sorry, but Suzui-san, can I bother you a second more?"

Telling the others that she'll be alright, the volleyball player gave him a confused glance. "What's wrong?"

"Um... can you tell him about the counseling session for me?" Takuto asked. "He is also on the mandatory list as well..."

"Guessed it..." Trailing off, Shiho nodded. "I'll tell him about it."

"Thank you, and I shouldn't bother you either."

* * *

[Afterschool, Outside of the nurse's office]

Well, Akira figured that Takuto's arrival was at least somewhat related to Kamoshida, and he probably had to attend one himself. However, it was a bit funny that he was going to whether it's mandatory or not.

Standing outside of the nurse's office and waiting for his period, he couldn't help but predict how their meeting would happen. And with what Kasumi told him when they saw each other on the way, Takuto was one of the best counselors she had.

Before long, the nurse's office's door opened and Ren walked out with a faint smile. "Oh, you're next, Ichijo?" He asked, which Akira gave a nod in return.

And with that, Akira entered the room and greeted Maruki. It looked just like how it was as his last visit, right after him saving Mishima from that strike. "Well, it wasn't like there should be any changes..."

"Changes?"

"Oh, I've been here a while ago," Akira smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck out of embarrassment. "I was saving a student from a strike to the face, quite an idiot I am."

Maruki chuckled in response. "That's was quite stupid indeed."

Sitting down on the comfy couch and placed his bag aside, the amateur writer leaned back into the couch and gave out a breath.

"So, shall we begin?" Maruki asked, holding a clipboard in his hand. "Just relax, all right? I'm only here to listen o whatever you wish to talk about."

Akira nodded. "What to talk about..." Trailing off, the thought of Kimiko and Shinji surfaced in his mind. "I guess you knew about Kimiko, right?"

"Kimiko... You mean Akashi Kimiko?"

"Yeah, we used to be close friends," He admitted with another nod. "Hell, I used to have a crush on her."

Maruki didn't say anything in response, just writing notes on his clipboard and listened to what he had to say.

"It always felt weird to lose someone that has a place in your heart," Akira continued, sitting up straight. "You still have a lot of things you wanted to say to them, but you already missed the chance to say it."

"Yes, I'd say that I can understand how it feels," Doc nodded. "But there's no need to force yourself to talk, I know it's hard for you to open up."

"No, it's actually fine," The amateur writer answered with a shake of his head. "The last time I could open up was at her grave... ironic, isn't it?"

Taking a deep breath, he resumed his own monologue. "But... maybe that's why I went out and saved Shiho from Kamoshida. Maybe in my subconscious, I just did it to redeem myself."

"Don't be too harsh on yourself," Takuto said with a reassuring smile. "Even if your intention was just to pay for Akashi, you still saved someone."

"I know, I still saved Shiho," Giving out a long breath, Akira let himself fell back to the back of the sofa. "And that's all matters, saving someone's life, protecting them."

"That's strong of you, Ichijo-kun," Doc smiled as he wrote down some notes on his clipboard. "There's not that many people who could keep going after a tragedy like this..."

The amateur writer nodded in agreement. "Life still had to move on, after all."

"Back to Kimiko, even though Kamoshida is where he belongs, paying for his crime..." Trailing off, he hesitated for a moment. "There's always a thought of 'if she's still around, how'd she react?'"

"I guess I just really miss her..." He chuckled at his own words, glancing back at Maruki. "It's quite a childish wish, right? The past is past, I couldn't do anything about it anymore."

"No, it wasn't," Doc shook his head in response. "You're actually really mature to keep looking forward. As I've said before, not many people can keep going after something like this."

"Maybe... Even though tragedy makes good stories, but people might be happier if all those tragedies were wiped out."

"Unfortunately, that's impossible for us to do so."

"Yeah, good stories are bad lives, after all."

Before either one of them could continue, the school bell suddenly rang and interrupted the two's conversation. Widening his eyes in surprise, Takuto took a look at his watch and sighed. "Ah... I lost track of time again. We should wrap things up here for today, thank you for coming to see me."

"It's alright, Elizabeth-san should be fine with me coming home late, once in a while," Akira shrugged with a reassuring smile, remembering that he originally was going to talk about Takemi. "And oh, I kinda forgot to ask you about this, but..."

"What is it?"

"Do you know who Dr. Takemi is?" Akira asked. "She gave me your business card a while ago, telling me that you're her old friend."

"Takemi- Oh, you mean Tae-chan," Widening his eyes in realization, Takuto couldn't help but chuckle out loud. "Right, we used to study in the same college together."

"That's great, maybe you can pay her a visit later on?" The amateur writer suggested, getting up and grabbing his school bag. "Her clinic is in Yongen-Jaya, I think it's around the corner from a cafe called Leblanc."

"She asked you to ask me about it?"

"No, it just seems... I dunno, I just felt like it," Akira smiled, bowing politely at Doc. "Thank you for listening to me, Dr. Maruki."

With that said, Akira left the office and left Maruki alone. Once along again, Maruki took out his phone and stared at the lock screen picture. It was an old picture of him, Tae, and another girl in an amusement park.

"Life was simpler back then, right? Tae, Rumi."

* * *

[May 14th, Early Morning]

Today was the last day of the exam, the 'week of despair' was finally coming to a close. Standing on the platform and waiting for the train, Ryuji and Ren just decided to enjoy the final moments before their final exam.

"I'm so sleepy..." Ryuji yawned, rubbing his head in pure tiredness. "I ended up pullin' an all-nighter once I realized today's the last day of exams."

"I got an all-nighter myself too..." Ren nodded in sympathy, adjusting his glasses. "It's just I studied throughout last night."

"That's because you didn't listen to me!" Morgana shouted, crawling out from Ren's beg and smacked his head. "It won't happen if you just sleep on time!"

"Sometimes I just had to sacrifice sleep for a better result," The delinquent sighed, rubbing the spot Morgana just hit him. "But Ryuji, you did spend your all-nighter for studying, right?"

"Uh... nope, I just gave up and played games for the night."

Before Ren could respond, the voice of Ann rang from aside. "...Typical Ryuji," She said, walking up to them with her own yawn. "...Morning."

"Yo, look who's yawnin' too!"

"I just... had to get one last effort across the finish line..."

"Impressive, Lady Ann," Morgana smiled, keeping his tone as sweet as possible. "You're quite different from this stupid monke-"

"Don't gimme that crap, cat," Ryuji interrupted him with a glare. "Your brain's tiny compared to mine."

"Size is meaningless if there's nothing inside, y'know."

"What was that?!"

"Jeez... just knock it off, you two," Ren sighed, keeping the distance between the two. "I'm going to get me a headache if you two keep going like this."

"Yeah, you two gonna make me forget everything I memo-" Stopping in all of a sudden, Ann turned back and looked around the station. As if she was searching for something. "...I'm not imagining that, right?"

"What's wrong?" Ren asked.

"No, it's just... nothing," Shaking her head, Ann gestured to the approaching train. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Exchanging a confused glance between them, Ren and Ryuji decided to leave this out and continued their daily routine. However, something's clearly wrong with Ann, or she wouldn't keep looking around for something...

No, wait, she wasn't looking for something. She looking to avoid someone.

As the train arrived at Aoyama-Itchome, Ann's unease only intensified and infected the two boys as well. The entire aura around them just screamed 'there's a stalker behind me'

Turning around and noticing that the stalker kept following them, Ann could feel a huge drop of sweat crawled down her forehead. "Oh my god, that guy got off!"

"What?" Ren questioned, turning back with a raised eye. "There's a stalker?"

"I-I guess so, is it bad?"

"Of course it's bad!" Ryuji hissed, running his hand through his hair. "C'mon, I have a plan."

"That didn't sound... too great."

"Trust me, Ann. It'll be fine."

With little choice she had right now, Ann just sighed and followed the boys to the exit. As much as she felt like an idiot when she stood here and act, Ryuji said this was the best chance to catch that 'pervy bastard' (right from his word).

'What the hell am I doing?' She thought.

However, her trains of thought were interrupted as a set of footsteps approached her, and it only got louder. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the set of footsteps continued to get louder and louder.

Before Ren and Ryuji came out and stopped him.

And their reaction could only boil down to one word. Confusion.

"What the hell?" Ryuji murmured, nudging at Ren.

"I... that's unexpected."

Instead of a middle-aged man they expected to see, it was a boy at their age level. And even without the dark blue hair that made him stood out, he looked... normal, or even on the handsome side.

But the said 'pretty boy' just tilted his head in confusion. Acting as if there's nothing wrong with it.

(To be continued.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is quite a long chapter, to be honest XD. Since it covered quite a lot of scenes. Anyway, now our beloved counselor is finally here! Welcome, Takuto!
> 
> Not only that, aside from the obvious exam, and a small 'Akira x Shiho' scene, we also finally get into the Madarame arc! But for those of you who read the original version, you should probably remember that The Fool had to deal with something else.
> 
> Of course, this plotline stays in this version. Now with two separate palaces to deal with, the first solo operation of The Fools is close!
> 
> Also, I think I've never properly thanked everyone who gave this fic a Kudo before... So I apologize for this late thank you, but... I really appreciate all the bookmarks and the Kudos. So uh... In all and all, I hope you all like the story so far!


	19. Unexpected Requests

[May 14th, Lunchtime, rooftop]

The exam today was... alright for Shiho. After the last few days being either straight hell or a breeze to go through, today's exam was surprisingly normal. It wasn't so hard, nor was so easy.

However, the thought of Madarame's investigation occupied her mind for the entire time. And the fact that Ann looked downcasted didn't help either. Maybe something happened to her?

"Hey, Ann," Seeing the said model just keep poking her bento and not taking a bit, Shiho couldn't help but gave her a look of concern. "Something's wrong? You looked weird today."

"I know... it's just..." Trailing off, Ann sighed tiredly and rest her head on her palms. "Some guy from another school came to me this morning, and he asked me to be his model."

"Oh, so... the typical modeling scam?"

"Nope, he sounded serious," Shaking her head, the blonde girl sighed again as the memories of this morning's event played out again.

* * *

[Earlier, outside of Aoyama-Ichitome Station]

Instead of a middle-aged man they expected to see, it was a boy at their age level. And even without the dark blue hair that made him stood out, he looked... normal, or even on the handsome side.

But the said 'pretty boy' just tilted his head in confusion. Acting as if there's nothing wrong with it.

Ryuji just blinked in slight confusion, before shifting his sight back onto Ann. "Hey, uh... are you sure it's him? Or are you just that self-conscious?"

"Are you serious, Ryuji?" Ren deadpanned.

Ann, on the other hand, groaned in annoyance. "I'm not that-"

"Is there something you want?"

"Huh?" The trio blinked unanimously as the pretty boy suddenly spoke, and the feeling of annoyance surfaced inside Ann again. Shoving both Ren and Ryuji aside and pointed at him, keeping an angered look for the entire time.

"That's my line!" She exclaimed. "You were the one stalking me!"

However, out of anything to use as an excuse or just admit to his fault, the said blue-haired boy blinked and just looked around. And he acted like... Ann was talking about someone else instead of him.

And this hypothesis only got confirmed as he parted his lips.

"Stalking you..? That's outrageous."

Gasping in surprise, the irrigation inside Ann just grew further like a fire. For a second, she could feel Carmen's urge to burn him to shred too. "I know you've been following me! Ever since the train!"

"It was you, wasn't it?! Even before today!"

Narrowing his eyes, Ren also remembered that Ann looked wary a day before too. "So it was you..."

"You have some real balls to say somethin' like that, y'know?" Ryuji said with a threatening undertone, crossing his arms and stared at the boy's eyes.

"That's because…" The boy trailed off, looking away from the model.

Before anyone could react, a car horn suddenly interrupted them as a dark luxurious car approached.

"My goodness...I had wondered why you left the car. So this is where your passion lead," The front seat window rolled down, revealing an elderly man with a low ponytail. He was also wearing a homely looking kimono. "All is well that ends well."

Nodding at the elderly man, the blue-haired boy suddenly turned back to Ann with an oddly sincere look. "I saw you from the car...and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you."

"O-okay..." Ann shuttered.

"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time!" Ignoring how the trio was reacting to his words, the boy continued his monologue with an odd sense of pride and passion. "Please, won't you-"

"W-Wait a minute, I-" She stammered, taking a step back.

"Wait a sec, who gave you the permission to confess to some stranger!" Ryuji almost screamed, crossing his arms and glared daggers at him.

"-be my model for my next art piece?"

...Now that's a question that didn't cross anyone's mind.

In response, the trio just stared at him with their mouth hanging, still trying to process the sudden turn of events. And if looked closer, steam was even visible from their head as their brain overheated.

"...Model?" Ren and Ryuji asked in unison.

Still ignoring the two boys, the pretty boy held up his hand and looked at Ann pleadingly. "All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anything else."

"W-what?!"

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji took a step closer, glancing at him with anger and suspicion.

Still ignoring them, the pretty boy held out a hand as if it's a performance. "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?"

Unintentionally gulped in unease, Ann hastily shook her head and deadpanned. "I don't even know your name, why should I agree to it?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" Widening his eyes in realization, the boy straightened his posture and properly introduced himself. "I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is **Kitagawa** **Yusuke**."

"I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

* * *

Back to the present, Shiho just stared at Ann in disbelief. This tale of her was just too bizarre to believe. If the situation was different, it could be something out from a cheesy romance novel, or straight out from a horror movie.

"It's just... wow," After a few long moments of silence, this was all Shiho could say. "So... that Kitagawa guy just stalk you for days, and still have the audacity to ask you to be her model..."

"What the hell is he thinking?!"

Shocked by Shiho's unintentional outburst, Ann physically took back an inch with an uneased smile. "I uh... well, he gave me some tickets to Madarame's exhibition, and I asked him to give me one more for you."

"Tickets to Madarame's exhibition?" Glancing at the ticket in her hand, Shiho only gave Ann a confused look. "What's that for?"

"So you can watch over me during the exhibition," The model sighed. "Maybe you can keep me safe from him... or when something happens."

"...W-whatever," Reluctantly accepting the ticket, the two friends decided to continue their lunch.

* * *

[Afterschool, Big Bang Burger]

As the exam came to an end, the sole three members of The Fools decided to meet up at Shibuya's Big Bang Burger. Even though it was mostly because Akira forgot to bring his lunch (it was Elizabeth's fault), but they just didn't want to care.

But there was one thing that all of them had, the relief of finish mid-term.

"It's finally over..." Trailing off, Akira gave out a sigh of relief and slumped down in his seat. "I can finally get back on business now."

Shiho, who was sitting next to Akira, giggled in response. "I guess our study session actually work, right?"

"Yep, it worked!"

Keigo, on the other end (both figuratively and literally), only kept his deadpanned stare at the two before him. These two were acting as if they're a couple, a bit too real in Keigo's eye. Were they too shameless to publicly show it, or they're just too clueless to realize this fact?

Anyway, these two were straying away from what they're supposed to talk about in the first place.

Clearing his throat and grabbing the duo's attention, Keigo pinched his nosebridge in annoyance. "So... Madarame's pupil wanted Takamaki to be his model," He summarized the entire situation as Shiho recalled, crossing his legs as he thought about the situation.

"Yeah, and I got this!" Shiho nodded, holding out the ticket she got from Ann earlier. "They're tickets for the exhibition, Ann wanted to me come with her."

"Ah, so that's one less ticket to buy then," Akira said, stretching his arms and took out his phone. "So a ticket for me, and Kamisaki, right?"

"Yes, this seems to be the case."

"Okay, so it's settled then," The leader of The Fools nodded, searching for any place to buy the tickets. "I'll put it in business expense, Mitsuru would probably be fine with that."

"Seriously?" Shiho deadpanned. "Ain't you have two hundred thousand yen each month?"

"Yeah, but it's for our infiltration business, so... it should be fine?"

"I wholeheartedly doubt whether this would work or not," Keigo plainly commented, taking a sip to his cup of water.

"Well, Mitsuru always has a soft spot for me, it should work," Akira shrugged, glancing over to Shiho. "Anyway, Shiho, just go with Ann and look after her. Kamisaki and I would deal with investigating the matters."

"...O-okay."

"Also, if this rumor is real..." Keigo trailed off, rubbing his chin in consideration. "We might need a person in the art world to help us, we need to give those paintings to their original owners."

"A person in the art world..." Repeating to himself, as if a lightbulb sparked on his head, the amateur writer grinned as he leaned forward. "Oh right, I can get Chidori-san to help us!"

"That would be splendid," The half-French nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Then it's settled then."

"Yeah," Akira nodded, glancing at Shiho and smiled. "I'll call you to meet up after the visit."

"Okay," Shiho nodded.

* * *

[15th May, morning, Shibuya station]

Looking up at the sky shrouded in a shade of grey, Shiho secretly applauded herself that she did bring an umbrella here. In the worst-case scenario, she'll just use it as a weapon of self-defense. Or to defend Ann from that Kitagawa guy when she needed to So... there's not really much to lose here.

Seeing Ann, Ren, and Ryuji waiting for her in the station square, she hastily cleared her mind and gave them a wave. "Ann!"

"Oh Shiho, there you are!" Giving a smile in return, the said model took a step aside to make space for her. "Now we're all here, we're good to go, right?"

"I guess," Ryuji plainly said, trying his best to hold a snicker. "But if that Kitagawa guy even dare to lay a finger on you, I'm going to-"

"Okay, you can stop here," Ann interrupted, gesturing to Shiho. "Shiho's protecting me this time, it'll be fine."

"Yeah," Shiho nodded, her feature suddenly darkened into the line between 'normal' and 'creepy'. "If that Kitagawa guy even dares to lay a finger on Ann, I promise that I'll..."

Noticing the horrified look from the trio, the volleyball player hastily shook her head and snapped out from her darkened look with the sweetest smile she could pull off. "O-oh, sorry about that. I might have gone a bit too far here... hehe..."

However, the trio only had one unanimous thought as they sweatdropped. 'She's scary!'

With that said, the four went on their way in awkward silence, Shiho's display of her horrifying side basically brought the mood between them to the ground. Actually, it might be even lower than the ground.

And they reached the gallery before they realized it.

Just as they expected, the whole place was filled with people. There's one crowded line for people who wanted to buy the ticket, and there's another one that was for entering. And unfortunately, the four also had to deal with waiting in line too.

After about fifteen minutes (at least), the four Persona users were greeted by Yusuke, the man himself.

"You came!" He happily greeted, noticing Shiho by her side and gave him a suspicious gaze. "And you are..."

"Suzui Shiho, Ann's best friend," She introduced herself, keeping her glare steady and pointed at him. "I think Ann asked you for another ticket, right? That's for me."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Suzui-san," Nodding and keeping his smile, Yusuke held out a hand and the two shook. For a second there, Ann could see a slight wince on Yusuke's face as Shiho grabbed his hand.

Of course, she figured out why instantly.

However, behind those two girls, Ren pushed her glasses so light reflected it and hid his narrowed eyes. And Ryuji kicked the ground with an annoyed look, glaring at him with a clear threat.

In return, the pupil just dropped his smile and gave the two a deadpan. "You really came."

"What'd you expect when you left us those tickets?!" Ryuji retorted, shoving his hand inside of his jacket.

Deciding not to respond to Ryuji's words, Yusuke turned back to Ann and Shiho. "Suzui-san, Takamaki-san, can I show you and your friends around? I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too."

"Yeah, sure," Shiho huffed, crossing her arms and narrowed her gaze. "Just a bit of fair warning, don't even think about anything out of the line."

"Of course."

* * *

As Ren and Ryuji looked around for any clue about Madarame's rumors, Akira and Keigo were examining the painting on the other end of the gallery. Since Keigo figured that the entire gallery would be filled with visitors, he asked (read: forced) Akira to come with him early.

With this being the first time Akira saw Keigo wearing anything other than his school uniform, Keigo's casual outfit actually reminded Akira of his Metaverse outfit. He wore a black t-shirt with a red-brown blazer over it, a pair of deep brown jeans, and his camera hanging on his chest.

However, for some odd reason, the half-French took out a different camera (more specifically, a digital camera) and took a few pictures of the paintings.

"So... Kamisaki, any clues or abnormality from these paintings?" Akira asked, letting out a tired yawn and hastily covered his mouth. "I should drink some coffee before coming..."

Keigo only pressed his glasses in response, "Actually, I found a lot of them," He said, pointing at one of them. "Look at how the brushes are."

Raising an eye in curiosity, the amateur writer took a step closer and examined the painting. Upon close inspection, the trails of brushes on the background were from left to right. Also, the brushes next to any objected in the foreground circled around it.

"It was going from left to right, and clearly move around any object," The half-French said, gesturing to another painting on the left. "However, look at this one."

"Not only the brushes are from right to left instead, but it was also much wilder and not working around the subject," Keigo continued, crossing his arms. "Catch the abnormality here?"

"Uh..." Trailing off, Akira processed the information Keigo dropped, widening his eyes in realization. "The brushes didn't look like Madarame are doing any experimentation, it looked like... they were drawn by two different people."

"Yes, and the coloring style is different too," The half-blooded blonde nodded, pointing at two paintings showing the same landscape. "Even though they're showing the same scenery, the shade of blue is different. And it looked like more a style choice instead of anything else."

"Yeah..."

"From the look of it, the rumors might be a reality," Keigo concluded. "Especially with what Miyano's shadow said before, the evidence seems to be piling on."

"Then... I'll text Shiho about this," Rubbing the back of his head, Akira took out his phone and messaged Shiho about the discovery. "Let's hope that Kitagawa guy didn't act too suspicious around Takamaki..."

"You worried about Takamaki?"

"Not really..." The amateur writer shrugged. "I'm actually worried about Kitagawa, who knows what Shiho would do..."

"Okay, but that information didn't relate to our purpose to come here."

"I know-"

"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination, Madarame-sensei."

Stopped in mid-sentence, the duo turned around and saw a TV interviewer interviewing the man himself. Just like how he looked online in their research, he wore a homely looking kimono and had a low ponytail.

"You have such expansive styles, it's hard to believe that it all stems from one person..." Trailing off, the TV interviewer kept her modest smile and politely pointed the microphone to him. "Can you tell us where does all your inspiration come from?"

Narrowing his eyes, Keigo took out a small notebook from his jacket's pocket. Opening a new page, he unclipped the small pen and readied to write down any useful information.

Humming thoughtfully, Madarame answered with the same modest smile. "Well... It is rather difficult to put into words..." He trailed off, tapping his chin. "But... They naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in the spring."

Covering his mouth to hold his cough, Akira pinched his nose bridge and gave Keigo an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm allergic to bullshit."

"It's not funny, Ichijo." Keigo scowled, keeping his gaze at his notebook. "And you're not doing any favor for our investigation either."

"I just want to lighten the mood..." Trailing off, the amateur writer sighed and continued to listen to the interview.

"Naturally, you say?" The TV interviewer pressed on, nodding her head thoughtfully.

"Right," Madarame nodded. "What's important is to distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame."

"My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty."

Upon hearing what Madarame's atelier was, the two members of The Fools exchanged a look of agreement. If Madarame didn't lie, the location of his palace would most likely be that exact shack.

However, as they returned to listen to the interview, Akira noticed another pair of Persona-Users also listening to what Madarame was saying. Thankfully, either they were gifted actors, or just this oblivious, Ren and Ryuji didn't notice them.

"Wait, they're here too..." He murmured under his breath, widening his eyes in realization. "So you four are also investigating in this matter."

"I see..." The interviewer nodded thoughtfully, giggling in the process. "So the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty. Still, to think we could hear the word 'shack' coming from the great artist Madarame."

"You would understand if you saw it," The said artist responded with a calm smile.

Sensing that there's no real information that he could get from Madarame's word, Keigo closed his notebook and glanced at Akira. "I think we got enough information, at least enough to form a possible keyword."

"Keyword... that's good to hear-"

"Madarame-san is actually here?!" Before the amateur writer could finish his sentence, a yelp from a bystanding woman surprised them.

And before long, more and more attendants started to gather around Madarame, practically squeezing every inch to see the artist himself. Thankfully, Keigo was able to drag Akira out of the crowd before it became too much.

* * *

[About a few minutes beforehand, about Shiho and Ann]

Even she was suspicious of him at first, but after going around and listened to Kitagawa introducing the paintings... Shiho had to admit that Kitagawa didn't seem too bad of a person.

Maybe... he was that... weirdly artistic person?

Feeling her body physically cringed at this thought, the volleyball player hastily shook her head to clear her mind. She was looking after Ann, not spacing out.

And Ann's words helped her snapped out from her thought too.

"Oh, this is it!" Finding herself standing in front of an extremely abstract painting, Ann turned back to Yusuke with a smile. "That's the painting I wanted to see in person."

The painting showed a mountain in a distance, covered by trees. Usually, it would be a plain-looking painting of a view, but the heavy uses of red and black, espeically on the sky and sun... It created a weird contrast and conflict between the two images.

It almost looked like the painter wanted to paint something normal at first, but gave in to his rage and frustration...

Wait, rage and frustration?

Glancing over to Yusuke, Shiho could clearly notice how tense he was. And there was some small twitching from his arms and lips. It was subtle, but noticeable.

It didn't need too much to connect the dots between them. It wasn't Madarame's work, it was Yusuke's.

Nodding to herself, she took out her phone and took a picture to the painting.

However, Ann was unaware of how uncomfortable he was and took a closer look. "I guess it's the painter's anger? I'm not sure, but I sense this...strong frustration from it," She wondered, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "To think such a cheerful and gentlemanly person could make such a piece…"

Noticing how the apprentice stiffness worsened at her word, Shiho decided to distract her from this topic and stood out. "Well, Madarame-sensei was famous for a reason, right? Art is supposed to always step out of the comfort zone, after all." She said, glancing over to Yusuke with a faint smile.

"R-right, that's right," He hastily nodded in response, gesturing over to other paintings. "Then let's move on, shall we?"

With that said, the three continued on their way through the gallery, with Yusuke introducing and giving them insight into each exhibit. However, as their tour almost came to an end, Shiho could feel her phone suddenly vibrated. It was a text from Akira.

**Akira: Hey Shiho, let's meet up at the station square after the exhibition, okay?**

**Shiho: You got any clues?**

**Akira: Not just clues, we might have found the first two keywords to his palace.**

**Shiho: That's great!**

**Shiho: Okay, I think Kitagawa's tour is about to end as well. I think I can make an excuse and meet with you guys.**

**Akira: Got it.**

* * *

After Kitagawa finished his small tour, and formally asked Ann to be his model (from what she'd said, it was the second time Kitagawa asked her). Shiho decided that it was the right moment to make an excuse and met up with Akira.

"Oh, um... Ann," She said with a sly smile, awkwardly taking a few steps behind. "I uh... Sorry Ann, I have to go now, mom's calling me."

"Huh?! This early?"

"Yeah... I'm really sorry, See you tomorrow though!" With that said, Shiho hastily turned around and left the exhibition.

It didn't take her too long to meet up with Akira and Keigo, just an elevator ride and a few more steps. With where the exhibition was set, the department store was literally just a few minutes of walk away from the station square.

Glancing up from his phone, Akira hastily waved at her with a smile. "Here!"

"Sorry, did I make you two wait?" Walking up to the two, she rested her hands inside the pockets of her windbreaker. "Kitagawa's tour got a bit longer than I expected."

"No, it's fine," Keigo reassured, adjusting his glasses. "Actually, as we're waiting for you, I've found... a different request we might have to look into."

"Another request?"

"Yeah, if not for Kamisaki, it might be buried under a mountain of posts," Akira nodded, showing her the Phan-site from his phone. "Here, that's the one."

_"Dear the Phantom Thieves,_

_I do not know whether this request would ever reach out to you, but it is an urgent one. It is about my mother._

_I apologize that I could not delve into the personal details, but she has been fixing Shogi matches in order to push me into idol status. However, she has also been heavily depressed._

_I wanted to help with her emotion by not exposing the fact that I knew about her fixing my matches. But her condition has not improved in the slightest bit._

_To be honest, I am scared of her condition. I do not want to see another loss in my family._

_Her name is Togo Mitsuyo and Phantom Thieves, if you do notice this message. Save my mother, Please."_

"...Togo Mitsuyo?" Shiho blinked, faintly remembering that she had heard this name somewhere before. "That sounds familiar... Where did I hear it-"

"She was Togo Hifumi's mother, and her manager," Akira explained, gently taking his phone back from her hand.

"O-oh, Togo Hifumi!" She exclaimed, widening her eyes in realization. "No wonder she's familiar- Wait, does that mean..."

"From the look of it, it seems to be the case," Keigo nodded, scrolling through his phone and showed another website. "Besides, the post mentioned that the original poster didn't want to see 'Another' loss in her family."

"Concidentally, the same happened to Togo Hifumi herself," He said, showing a news article from four years ago. "Four years ago, Togo Hifumi's father, Togo Mamoru died from a car accident."

_"Breaking news: Shogi star Togo Mamoru passed away from fatal car accident."_

Akira sighed in response, seeing someone else losing her family... It never got any better. "But Kamisaki, there's something more important, right?"

"Something... more important?"

Noting Shiho's questioning glance, Keigo nodded and leaned against the public flower pot behind him. "...Togo Mitsuyo might have a palace of her own, instead of a Memento chamber."

"Huh?!" Realizing that she was gaining attention from bystanders, the volleyball player hastily covered her mouth and leaned closer. "B-but why are you so sure of it, Kamisaki?"

"Time," The half-French plainly said, opening another tab on his browser. "I did some research on Madarame and Kamoshida. And I found a common point between them."

Showing the phone screen to the two, he continued his explanation. "Kamoshida started working in Shujin three years ago, a year after his disastrous game in the London Olympic game."

_"Rising Star Kamoshida Suguru announcing retirement after the disastrous play from last month's Olympic game..."_

"...Okay?" Akira nodded, crossing his arms and raised an eye in slight confusion. What was Keigo trying to point out? And 'Time'...?

"Not only that, when did Madarame's first breakthrough to the art world, Ichijo?" Keigo pressed on, swiping to a wiki page about Madarame's artworks.

_"Madarame-sensei's breakthrough painting,_ _'Sayuri', was painted and published on March 8th, 2000..."_

Noting that the two still somewhat confused at where he's going, the Shadow Operative member couldn't help but sigh. Maybe it was his fault, after all, he always had a hard time following his father's explanation on his cases...

"Anyway, I noticed a difference in the color of Sayuri," Keigo continued. "The grey mist in the painting has a... extremely cold tone, and it was contradicting the overall warm on the rest of the painting."

"This was one of the heaviest criticism of this painting, right?" Akira suggested. "I heard about this a while ago, when I was researching for a scene in my novel."

"Akira, what in the world is your novel's about?" Shiho deadpanned.

Before Akira could even answer, the half-French took over by his explanation. "Yes, you're right, Ichijo," He nodded. "However, since we already have evidence on Madarame's plagiarism... as much as I hate digital camera..."

Giving out a soft sigh, he took out his digital camera and showed the pictures he took during the exhibition. "By this, we can assume that... Madarame's plagiarism started in the year 2000, or even before that."

"I've checked the Meta-Nav, Madarame did have a palace of his own," Akira added.

Shiho, on the other hand, furrowed her brow and pondered. From what Keigo said, everything makes sense right now, but... what about the Mementos target they fought beforehand? And that Nakanohara guy Ren's group dealt with?

As if he directly read what she was thinking, Keigo opened the old post about their old target and Nakanohara. "In the post about Miyano Karou, the original poster mentioned that he'd been like this for half a year."

"And for Nakanohara, he stalked his ex-girlfriend for two months."

Seeing that Shiho had nothing to say anymore, the half-French pressed glasses. "From how little information we have right now. The difference between Memento targets and Palace owner is time."

"And by this logic, Togo Mitsuyo is possibly a Palace owner."

With that said, an aura of seriousness surrounded the trio, especially Shiho. If what Keigo said was right, that means they were dealing with two palaces at the same time. How... how should they do that?

However, her thought was cut short when Akira suddenly said, "I remember I saw Ren and Ryuji in the exhibition though. So they might also be looking into Madarame's palace as well."

"In this case, we might have time to deal with Togo's palace," Running his hand through his hair, the amateur writer suddenly stood up, a determined look filled his eyes. "But either way, let's check out Madarame's shack first. Then we'll look into Togo's palace."

With a nod between the trio, they walked over to the direction of Madarame's shack (according to the map). However, they didn't notice a certain Shigo player watching them from aside, her eyes widened in shock.

Togo Hifumi was just walking by when Shiho's gasp caught her attention, and she didn't expect to hear them talking about her request on the Phan-site. She already thought that her request got buried by other posts, and went unnoticed by then.

"...D-did they just talked about my request?" She murmured to herself, keeping her gaze at the trio. "And from how they talked about it... No way..."

"There is no way that they're the Phantom Thieves..." Trailing off, she was about to turn around and leave when something hit her mind. "Wait... did they call that guy 'Ichijo'?"

_"Yes, you're right, Ichijo,"_

_"Akira, what in the world is your novel's about?"_

'Ichijo Akira... That's the name Hinaki mentioned before!' Hifumi widened her eyes in realization, a short memory between her and Hinaki played in her mind.

* * *

Sitting at the spot right in front of Hinaki, Hifumi couldn't help but be worried about the rumor about her. _"So Hinaki... I heard some rumor about you going to Shujin... Isn't you..."_

The said student council president nodded. _"I am, but I was asking someone to transfer to Kosei."_

 _"Huh?! That was really out-of-the-blue, Hinaki."_ The Shogi player raised an eye at her answer. _"Why is that person?"_

 _"Ichijo Akira, a old friend of Izumo."_ Giving out a long sigh, Hinaki kept her stare into nothing. _"I thought that bringing his friend to Kosei would help... but I just making this worse..."_

_"Don't be too hard on yourself, Hinaki."_

_"I know,"_ Hinaki sighed. _"But the thing is... his reason to refuse my offer is to 'protect those he cared about'..."_

_Hifumi didn't answer, just keep listening to what she had to say._

_"I understand where Icijou's coming from, but I couldn't just let Izumo..."_ Trailing off, she stopped for a moment before continuing. _"Either way, I might have to find him again in the upcoming Golden Week. Maybe he would give me more insight into Izumo..."_

* * *

Snapping out from her memories, Hifumi hastily checked her schedule and saw that her next interview was at least two hours away. Without hesitation, she picked up her pace and followed them.

Just like what they said before, the trio stopped in front of Madarame's shack and talked. Even though she couldn't hear them clearly due to their distance, but she had heard enough from them.

"...So, if we didn't see The Phantom... we might need to change Madarame's and Togo's heart..."

'That was it, they were talking about changing mother's heart!' Widening her eyes, Hifumi hastily covered her mouth so they wouldn't hear her surprised yelp.

However, her shock only intensified at what happened next.

Right before her eyes, the trio disappeared in thin air.

She couldn't believe it, but... she just stumbled into the Phantom Thieves. And they noticed her request...

And they accepted it.

(To be continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... after three weeks, chapter 19 is here!
> 
> And sorry for ending it on a cliffhanger XD. It's just a perfect spot to end it on.
> 
> Anyway, now The Fools had unknowingly leaked their identities to a certain Shogi player. Well... I guess they needed to have a better awareness of their surroundings XD. At least it wasn't because of Ryuji's loudmouth. It's literally just coincidence.
> 
> Anyway, what will happen between Hifumi and The Fools?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all like the story so far, comments and kudos are definitely welcome!


	20. First Visit

[Madarame's palace, entrance]

As the familiar sense of slight disturbance and nausea passed, Akira, Shiho, and Keigo stared at the spot that was used to be Madarame's shack. Instead of the shack that was literally built by tin plate, it was turned into a sumptuous-looking museum.

It was built upon golden cubes stacked on one another, with multiple spotlights shooting upward toward the night sky. On top of that, lines after lines of people waited from the main entrance, eagerly waiting to enter the museum.

"Huh, so it's this easy to guess the final keyword," Keigo, now in his Raven attire, glanced over to the palace itself. "Sometimes people are just this one-track-minded..."

"I guess it makes sense," Jester shrugged. "Madarame's main income source is exhibitions, after all. It's just much more profitable than selling the paintings."

Swan, on the other hand, groaned in slight anger. "Of course he doesn't want to sell those paintings, those paintings aren't his in the first place."

"Then we shall show the world who he really is," Raven plainly said, walking up to a truck nearby. "This seems to be the best spot to infiltrate the museum, how suspiciously convenient."

With that said, the trio jumped onto the said truck and vaulted over the laughably 'security' that was the walls. Landing in the front courtyard, the trio noticed that the security is unironically a joke compare to what Jester and Swan experienced over throughout Kamoshida's palace.

There wasn't even a single shadow in their sight.

Without a word between them, they hastily dashed through the front yard with ease. With the small light illuminating the walkway they're running on, the trio was greeted by pillars upon pillars of distorted cubes.

Noticing a small rooftop on the other side of the pillars, Jester smirked and pulled out his grappling hook. "Ahh, thank god I still have this here."

"A grappling hook..." Murmuring to himself, noticing what look Swan was giving to Jester. She was... blushing, and somehow clearly visible under her mask.

And it didn't take Raven even ten seconds to figure out what's going on, or at least got the gist of it. Well, it wasn't that hard to figure it out in the first place, espeically with how they dense acted in the real world.

Thankfully(?), Swan's words provided the answer he didn't want. "Please don't tell me I have to hold you again..." She sighed, peeping back at Raven. "Especially with Raven here as well."

"Oh right... you two still don't have a grappling hook," Internally cringing at the memories of those moments, Jester sighed and put his grappling hook back into his holster. "Well, I might try and get you two a grappling hook of your own."

"I can get them on my own term," Raven answered with the most deadpanned look as possible. "And I can get one for Swan if she needs one."

"And before any of you says anything, we should just return to our palace investigation, correct?"

Giving each other a question glance, the duo nodded stiffly in response. "Y-yeah, let's get back on the infiltration," Jester said, leaping up and climbed onto the pillars, followed by both Swan and Raven.

Before long, the trio snuck inside the museum via an opened window on a small roof near the pillars they encountered beforehand. At first glance, they were welcomed by a wall covered by different paintings.

However, instead of landscape paintings or abstract paintings, all of them were portraits of young people. And on the spot their mouth should be, there was a fake smile being poorly pasted and covered it. Aside from the people themselves, the backgrounds were just a pile of conflicting and mixed color, moving like paints on a water surface.

"Well, that's one hell of a contrast with those paintings," Jester commented plainly.

Swan nodded, looking at the portraits with slight unnerve. "Yeah... and their eyes... I feel like they're watching us..."

Raven, on the other hand, took out his reflex camera and snapped a few pictures of them. With how the pictures of Mementos turned out nicely after being processed, now he got a guaranteed way to capture evidence for his report.

As much as he had a bad feeling about them.

Walking up to those portraits before them, the Victorian-looking thief noticed an info plaque next to it. It was carved onto the metal plate with black ink to highlight them. But... there were only two lines on them.

"...Sato Takumi, 22..." Murmuring to herself, Swan couldn't help but felt more unnerved than before. She wasn't sure, but it felt like a shiver ran through her body. "What's this for?"

"Kiryuu Shuichi, 14..." Trailing off, Raven widened his eyes on the name, as if he recognized it. "Wait, that is the name of that pupil who committed suicide."

"How did you know?" Swan raised an eye in confusion, feeling a shiver ran down her body. "And only 14 years old..."

"I heard about it in the news, it was a big one in the art community," Not noticing how his hand clutched into a tight fist, the half-French tried his best to keep his emotion in check. "Especially because he was 14. I always wondered why did he just do that, even if most of the community came to the conclusion that he was just depressed."

Jester shook his head, unintentionally gulped a breath of air. "Wha- no... if it's what I'm thinking..." Trailing off, he hastily walked to another portrait and examined the info plaque of it. "...Ninomiya Mai, 19..."

"Kasuragi Yuri, 23...'

"Misaki Kensuke, 15..."

"Ibuki Ren, 26..."

The trio took a step away in unison, keeping their stare onto the portraits. Swan and Jester's eyes were widened in realization and horror, while Raven changed his gaze into calmness instead.

"These portraits... are what Madarame thinks of his pupils."

Lowering his head and let his thought ran on, Raven glanced over to the hall room next to the one they're in right now. "And we are not even scratching the tip of the iceberg."

Leading the duo to the hall, they were immediately assaulted by a hall filled with more portraits. Each of them had an odd smile placed on their face as if it was horribly pasted on them.

Scanning the entire room, Jester couldn't help but gave out a breath of shock. "Jesus... how many portraits are there?"

"Probably more than what we all expected," Swan answered. "Consider how many paintings they were showing during the exhibition..."

Meanwhile, Raven took out his camera and took more pictures of the names and ages of those pupils. "I should have brought spare films for this..." He muttered, giving out a low sigh as the film of his camera ran out.

"I don't think you need this many pictures for your report, Raven."

"I know, they are not for the report," Shaking his head at Jester's comment, the half-French put away his camera. "After changing Madarame's heart, we still need to return the paintings to their respective owners, right?"

"Even if it might not be us to gave the painting to them, it would still be helpful."

"Yeah..." Trailing off, the Victorian-looking thief looked over and widened his eyes in shock. "Wait, isn't that... That's Miyano!"

The trio rushed over and stopped in front of the portrait, their eyesight laid on itself. Just like the others, it showed a half-body portrait of Miyano with a distorted background. And just like the others, it also had a smile poorly pasted on where his mouth should be.

"So what he said was the truth, he was a victim as well," Feeling the pencil he got from that Mementos battle, Jester looked down and bit his lips. "Damn it, everything's just coming together in the worst possible way."

"Then let's get going, we are doing it for them, right?" Swan muttered out loud, giving them a determined look.

"Yeah..."

With a solemn nod from Jester, the trio continued their exploration and found themselves right in front of an info counter. Just like any normal info counter anyone would find in a museum.

However, his focus laid on the try sitting beside the info counter. It was filled with row after row of leaflets, and it had the exact same design as ones that he noticed during the exhibition in the real world.

"If my intuition didn't serve me wrong..." Trailing off, the Victorian-looking thief took one leaflet out and examined it. "Aha, there it is."

"Hmm... a map," Swan commented, poking over his shoulder and read the map alongside him. "It makes sense."

Raven agreed, picking up another leaflet and opened it. "Indeed, but this map only covered this floor."

"So we need to find the other part to complete this," Jester shrugged, putting the map inside his coat's pocket. "Just like Kamoshida's palace."

"They're just never going to let us have an easy time, right?" The white-thief sighed, turned around and glanced over to a new space behind the counter. "And we still haven't check that place either."

Placing the other leaflet back into the tray, Raven nodded and the trio walked over to the space behind the counter. To their surprise, they were greeted by a huge sculpture made entirely of gold. And the reflected light coming from it was hurting their eyes, unironically.

However, what the sculpture was sculping disturbed them. With a giant spiral of some abstract... stuff, a number of people were pictured as if being dropped down, some of them were upside-down too. But on the top of them all were Madrarame himself, standing up proudly as if he achieved something great.

Staring at the sculpture with an eye filled with hidden anger, Raven walked up to the info plaque and read it out loud. "The Infinite Spring... A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own fund..."

"These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living..."

"And they called this as art..." Jester repeated with a blink of his eyes, glancing back onto the sculpture itself. "Looks more like a display of ego than anything to me."

Swan, on the other hand, couldn't help but frown and looked away. "It's just so uncomfortable to look at, both metaphorically and literally."

"...It is just an insult to art in every angle imaginable," After staring at the info plaque for a few long seconds, Raven took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure, before looking back at the duo. "This is more than I expected, and..."

"More than you can handle, right?" The Victorian-looking thief finished for him, resting his hands inside his coat as he glanced back to the sculpture. "Besides, we have Togo's request as well... I guess we should call it a day."

"Right, we still have to talk about Togo's request..." He nodded.

* * *

[Meanwhile, Madarame's shack]

Togo Hifumi felt stupid, really really stupid for doing this.

Why in the world would she think that staying behind a corner and waited for anything to happen to be a good idea?! She was lucky that no one had passed by for the last 45 minutes. If anyone saw Togo Hifumi out of anyone hiding around this corner as if she was waiting for someone...

She didn't have the courage to imagine what tomorrow's entertainment headline would.

"Maybe I should just leave..." Trailing off, she stood up with slight difficulty and was about to leave when a feeling of nausea suddenly assaulted her. "What is this feelin-"

"Well, at least we made a bit of process into Madarame's palace."

Widening her eyes at the voice behind the corner, the Shogi player hastily crouched down behind the corner again. "They're back... And just like how they disappeared..."

On the other side, Shiho only sighed. "Then what about Togo's request?"

"Uh... let's deal with that tomorrow, okay?" Akira suggested, giving Keigo a worried glance. "I guess you want some time to cool off, right? Besides, dealing with two palaces in one day is a bit too much."

"That would be preferable," Keigo nodded, holding his lips in a thin line. "Then we will meet up at the school gate?"

"Yeah."

"Alright... See you two tomorrow," With that said, the half-French turned around and walked toward the Hifumi's hiding place.

Still hiding behind and spying them, Hifumi gasped as he walked toward her direction and hastily ran away. "Please don't notice me..." She muttered under her breath, not noticing how tight her grip on her schoolbag was as her body walked toward the station.

However, her mind was running at full speed, and the only other time her mind was running this hard... was when she played against her father.

The Phantom Thieves were going to investigate her request tomorrow, what should she do? Should she came out and confronted them, or just left them to their own businesses? Wait no, it wasn't just their business, her family, life was involved in this as well.

Shaking her head and put all those thoughts aside, the Shogi player decided to leave those thoughts for tonight. At least then she had all the time to think and analyze, then decided on what she would do tomorrow.

Maybe she would figure out what should she do by then.

* * *

[16th May, Lunchtime]

"So Ichijo-Senpai, how's the progress between you and Suzui-senpai?"

Surprised by Kasumi's sudden words, Akira almost choked on his bento and coughed violently. "W-wha- What?!" He shuttered, internally being really thankful that no food was accidentally split to the table. "That wasn't expected."

"Well, it's been more than a week since we last talked, I'm just a bit curious..." Trailing off, the gymnast softly scratched the side of her cheek and smiled sheepishly.

Seeing how Kasumi tried to act cute, Akira couldn't help but giggle. "Welp, I guess we got a bit closer than before. Even though I might have overstepped for a bit."

"Overstepped?"

"I uh..." Gradually lowering his voice, he looked away with a faint blush. "Well, I don't know whether I should tell you about it, but I uh... tell Shiho that she's beautiful during a study session."

"And don't worry, Shiho didn't take that badly." However, as his gaze landed back on Kasumi, he could only see her deadpanned stare.

"Seriously? That's 'overstepping' in your mind, Senpai?"

"Uh... yeah, it just ended up making our study session extremely awkward-"

"But Suzui-senpai DIDN'T hate you for it! That's already a massive step forward!"

Akira blinked. Kasumi had a point, Shiho didn't react too badly toward his compliment, other than the obvious one. Besides, whether it was because of their other-worldly business or not, they still talked like nothing had happened.

Then why in the world should he think that he was overstepping for that sole compliment?

"Y-yeah... you have a point, Kasumi-san," He nodded, rubbing a long strand of his hair. "I'll find a way to at least... have some one-on-one trip with her? It won't be a full-on date, more like a trip between two friends-"

"That's the spirit!" Kasumi beamed. "Good luck with it then, senpai!"

"Good luck... I'm gonna need it."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Keigo somehow found himself eating lunch with someone he only met once. And out of any place they chose to have lunch, it was the rooftop.

"It's been a great help, Kamisaki-kun," Haru smiled as the two watched the empty planting pot laid organized in front of them. "At this pace, I might start doing some farming here."

"That's great," Keigo nodded, taking a sip of his drink with a faint smile. "And it seems like you did take my words in heart, I can see you changed your posture when carrying."

"Yeah, it actually made carrying them much easier than before," The heiress widened her smile in response. "Who knows how bad my hand would become if I didn't change it?"

Keigo only chuckled, letting the comfortable silence between them played out. To be honest, he liked how comfortable it could be, sometimes words weren't really needed.

After a moment, Haru curiously glanced at his camera hanging on his chest. "Actually, I've never seen anyone use this kind of camera before."

"Oh, this?" Raising an eye, the half-French took off the camera and let her had a feel for it. "It's actually a twin-lens reflex camera, which was first developed around the 1870s."

"1870s? Wow, that's really old."

"I can say that I'm more an old-school person," Keigo shrugged with a hint of a smile. "Like, I never liked digital photos, they can be easily altered without any prior learning process..."

"For me, photographs are documentation of memories, so I never wanted to see them being altered," Finish his short monologue, the half-French suddenly realized what he just said and glanced away. "Sorry, I might have rambled for too long..."

"It's fine, Kamisaki-kun," Haru smiled in return, letting him knew that she was fine with his small rambling. "I... I can somewhat relate to what you just said."

"My relationship with technology is weird, to say the least," She chuckled to herself, trying to hold her embarrassment down. "Like, I can't count how many times I have to fix my portable computer anymore. And sometimes I didn't even touch it, I tried booting it up, but it just didn't work."

"...well, that's quite far-fetch," Keigo blinked, keeping his gaze at her for a second before giving out a faint smile. "But still, thank you."

The heiress nodded, gazing off for a few moments before turning back at him. "Actually, I heard that you came from Ayanagi, right?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing too big, I'm just curious about how it is over there," She said with an innocent smile. "Ayanagi is a unique city, and it isn't common to see someone who actually lived in that city too."

"How it is to live in Ayanagi..." Repeating under his breath, Keigo stayed thoughtfully for a moment. "From an objective standpoint, I can say there's a fantastic view."

"Right, I heard that the coast is one of the must-see places, right?"

"Yes, it is," The half-French agreed, pushing his glasses. "It was where most of my early photos took place, alongside the windmills. And the snow there is great too, on top of them..."

"...That sounds a great place to live."

"Yeah, it is."

With that said, the two fell into another comfortable silence. To be honest, this was only the second time they met each other, and both of them were surprised at how many things did they just talked about.

But at least this time, the bell rang before the silence became too much.

Standing up from the chair he's been sitting on, Keigo packed up his lunch. "Lunch is ending, I think we should go back to our classroom."

"Right..." Haru nodded subtly, also standing up from the chair she's been sitting on. "Thank you for helping me, Kamisaki-kun. It's... cozy to talk with you too."

"Really?" He asked with a raised eye. "I'm not the best person to talk about anything, and this is only the second time we met..."

"No, it's just... I don't need to worry too much when talking with you," Feeling a smile crept onto her face, she decided to embrace it instead of holding back. "I... can we eat lunch together from now on?"

Keigo widened his eyes in surprise, but still nodded with a smile in response. "Of course."

* * *

[Afterschool, Kanda]

After school ended, the trio of The Fools met up at the school gate and decided to go to the Togo Residence located in Kanda. To their surprise, Togo Residence was actually just a small two-stories house, a really simple one.

"So this is the Togo Residence?" Akira asked, turning back and glanced at the house before them. "It's smaller than I thought."

Shiho sighed, giving him a light smack on the back of his head. "Even if she's a celebrity, she's still a high school student, okay?"

"I know... I'm just asking," Before he could finish his word, Shiho's deadpanned stare stopped him with pure annoyance.

"Oh, so you're interested in Togo Hifumi?"

"Wha- of course not! Why would I- Wait a sec, why are YOU worried about it?"

"Huh? Well, we're talking about business here and you're thinking about something else!"

However, Keigo had enough with their unknowingly public display of affection and cleared his throat. "We are here to look into Togo's request, not to have... whatever this is."

"And if you two want to continue on, get a room."

He watched the duo instantly blushed like crazy, and near the point of emitting steam (if a human could) with a nonchalant look. Once the blush finally somewhat faded and calmed down, the half-French took out his phone and opened the Meta-Nav.

"Anyway, we know that Togo Mitsuyo does not have a Mementos chamber," He recounted, inputting the name into the search bar. "And with how little information we have concerning the Togo family in general, this place might be where the palace is located."

"Y-yeah, you have a point, Kamisaki," Akira, on the other hand, shuttered and kept avoiding to even glance Shiho's face. "And with how Togo appeared on different TV stations or magazine interview, I can't narrow down to any specific place from that angle either."

"Nothing from my side either," Shiho added in, also avoiding to look at his face too. "S-so yeah, it's pretty much this place."

"Alright, I will put this place into the Meta-Nav..." Eyes darted between the two, Keigo couldn't help but just gave out a long sigh. "...I hate being the third wheel..." He muttered, his finger quickly tapped on his phone screen.

**_"Togo Mitsuyo, Togo Residence..."_ **

**_"Location found, please input the keyword."_ **

"Magnifique," The half-French nodded to himself, adjusting his glasses. "Then now it's the distortion left-"

"Y-you three did take my request into consideration."

Startled by the sudden voice coming from aside, the trio turned toward where the voice came from. And... standing in front of them in her Kosei uniform, Hifumi watched them with widened eyes.

"H-heh?! Togo Hifumi?!" Akira yelped, hastily cleared his throat, and tried to bullshit his way out of it. "U-uh... Sorry, we're don't know what 'request' you're talking about, miss-"

"I know that you three are the Phantom Thief of Heart," Hifumi interrupted him, taking a stern step closer to the trio. "Don't try to make excuses to fool me."

Widening their eyes at the name drop, the Shiho exchanged a look of uncertainty with him. Do they have anything else to say? This person knew their other identity, and their identity was at risk here.

Meanwhile, Keigo hastily scanned through his own memories, trying to find the moment they accidentally exposed their identity to her. 'I should be more careful about it!' He cursed internally.

Feeling there's nothing else to say, the amateur writer only decided to sigh and reluctantly nodded. "F-fine, let's say we are the Phantom Thief, are you going to expose us out?"

"No, this option has never crossed my mind," Hifumi shook her head, feeling her grip tightened on her shoulder bag's strap. "I'm just thankful that you did take my request into consideration..."

"Your request..." Repeating under his breath, Keigo pushed his glasses again. "So it was you after all, Togo-san."

"Yes, it was me," She nodded, casting a glance on her own house. "I... I heard about your work concerning Kamoshida Suguru on the TV... and I just wanted some help about my own situation."

"But still, thank you for acknowledging my request..." Trailing off, the Shogi player took in a deep breath and bowed politely. "If you need any help, I am happy to corporate."

The trio could only blink at her words, not able to do anything more. This was something they never expected. Even though knowing that the request came from her directly, her words were in the realm of possibility.

Processing Hifumi's words silently, an idea suddenly popped up inside Keigo's mind. The biggest obstacle they faced right now was that they didn't know Togo Mitsuyo personally.

However, Hifumi was on the opposite side. It was her mother, after all.

Adjusting his glasses even though he didn't need to, the half-French took a step forward and asked. "Actually, your appearance here right now helped us a lot."

"I apologize for the sudden question, but what does your mother view the Togo Household as?"

"My mother?" Hifumi questioned, looking down in thought. "She... I don't want to say it, but... a palace, or a pagoda to be more specific."

"A palace?" Shiho asked, raising an eye in confusion. "That was different..."

"It was more a weird quirk we Togo family has," The Shogi player shook her head in faint embarrassment. "But that what I believe mother to view the house as."

"A pagoda..." Muttering under his breath, Keigo inputted the keyword into the Meta-Nav.

_**"Location found, ready for navigation."** _

"Bingo," Letting his finger hovered over the 'navigation' button, he exchanged a glance between Shiho and Akira before giving Hifumi a thank you. "It was easier than I thought. But still, we appreciate your help, Togo-san."

"T-that's it?"

"Right, just leave the rest to us," He nodded. "And I would advice you to take a few steps away too, we don't want to accidentally pull you into the palace."

"What we're doing is dangerous," Akira sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "And you're not going to like what you see on the other side."

"...'Other side', huh?" Shiho raised an eye at the said amateur writer. "I kinda like that name though."

"Someone's watching, please keep your affection in check, okay?" Keigo deadpanned, seeing how Hifumi had already stepped back for a few steps.

Even though they couldn't confirm it, but he hoped that she wouldn't get dragged into the palace with them. And with that thought in his mind, he pressed the 'navigation' button.

_**"Beginning Navigation."** _

And just like they used to, the world distorted around them.

(To be continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that cliffhanger, Chapter 20 with the first visit to Mitsuyo's palace. Or right before entering the palace.
> 
> And yes, this fic will feature new original palaces that happened alongside original Mementos Missions (which is their own spin-off fic). 
> 
> But now Hifumi knows the real identity of The Fools and confronted them, would she potentially join The Fools herself as well? What caused Mitsuyo to have a palace instead of the Mementos Chamber like in canon? Do the past tragedy of the Togo family have more than it looked?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all like the story so far, kudos and comments are definitely welcome!


End file.
